“It’s a new level of cynicism in the auto industry,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive market analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “We have seen honest mistakes and lapses of judgment before, and tragic things happening, but this strikes me as different. The intent from the beginning seemed to be to evade standard norms.”
In growing numbers, automakers have been adding a diesel option in their lineup, marketing the vehicles as “clean diesels” that promise better fuel economy and faster acceleration.
Diesel cars are now offered by BMW, General Motors, Jeep, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz. While Japanese makers have pursued electric-hybrid technology instead of diesel, Mazda said it would offer a diesel version of its Mazda 6 sedan at some point.