Lexus Pushes IS 220d CO2 Emissions Down to 148 g/km
20 January 2009
Lexus has made revisions to the IS 220d (diesel) on sale in Europe that bring CO2 emissions down to 148 g/km from 163 g/km. In November, Lexus had announced a set of minor changes that reduced IS 220d emissions from 168 g/km to 163 g/km.
A Lexus spokesperson said that due to the minor changes made in late 2008 that incorporated minor vehicle weight changes, Lexus Europe rehomologated the vehicle, thereby achieving the new figure.
The adjustments have not altered performance: the lightweight 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine produces a maximum 175 bhp (130 kW) at 3,600rpm and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque @ 2,600rpm, giving a maximum speed of 135 mph and O-62 mph acceleration in 8.9 seconds. The IS 220d is fitted as standard with a six-speed manual transmission.
Can it really be that easy ?
I wonder does the mpg reduce, or what exactly have they done?
I guessed that the first set of CO2 reductions in the EU (across all manufacturers) would be done by similar "retuning" the engine management systems, because low CO2 would not have been a requirement before.
Having done this, they will then have to do some real engineering to get the CO2 further down.
Posted by: mahonj | 20 January 2009 at 12:15 PM
Does anybody really care? Is CO2 a "pollutant" - or a cheap meal ticket for enviro-scammers?
Posted by: Reel$$ | 20 January 2009 at 04:31 PM