<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" One Word: Diesel   &amp;quot;We believe there&amp;#039;s big potential in the United States for our sophisticated new diesel cars,&amp;quot; Thomas Weber, DaimlerChrysler&amp;#039;s board member responsible for research and technology, told The Detroit News.   To back up his opinion, Weber said is introducing the E320 CDI, which is about 20 percent more fuel efficient than an equivalent gasoline-powered .   In a wide ranging interview, Weber told the News that DaimlerChrysler believe that advanced diesel technology is a better solution than hybrids [powertrains that combine conventional and electric motors]. &amp;quot;We don&amp;#039;t have quality problems with them, we already have the technology, and we have the experience from Europe,&amp;quot; he said.   There is a catch, however. &amp;quot;We need cleaner fuels,&amp;quot; Weber said. &amp;quot;At the moment, the sulfur content in the fuels in the United States is still too high, although it is coming down.&amp;quot;   He went on to say that the Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI gets 30 miles to the gallon, runs for more than 500 miles on a single tank, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in less than seven seconds and doesn&amp;#039;t make any more noise than a gasoline-powered car.   In Europe, he noted, diesel-powered cars have 40 percent of the market.   Toyota Seeks to Expand Lexus Brand   Toyota wants to &amp;quot;grow its Lexus brand significantly,&amp;quot; The Wall Street Journal reported.   Japan&amp;#039;s largest automaker intends to introduce a sporty entry-level luxury model and possibly add a couple of vehicles that would be priced above $70,000 to the lineup.   Denny Clements, head of the Lexus brand, said he is aiming to boost Lexus sales to 350,000 vehicles a year within the next five years. Lexus sold a total of 259,755 vehicles last year, up 11% from 2002.   Clements said that although Mercedes has a dozen models that are priced more than $70,000, Lexus has none \u2014 its flagship car, the sedan, starts around $54,000. Clements added that Lexus surveys have shown its customers are interested in buying higher-priced vehicles. &amp;quot;So we are asking [Toyota&amp;#039;s product planning office in Japan] for more product offerings at the higher end,&amp;quot; Clements told the WSJ. He declined to be specific about what type of super luxury vehicles he is looking for, but noted that among them are a sedan and a sports car. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a10002/one-word-diesel/>