In a depressing move that reveals the extent to which General Motors is hardly treading water let alone moving ahead with ground-breaking technical innovations, the company now says its is delaying the development of "one of the most advanced engines that it has ever designed," according to Automotive News.

"The engine has unique cylinder heads that eliminate the intake and exhaust manifolds," the leading industry trade paper said, adding that early tests had found it to be "as smooth and quiet as a gasoline engine."

It said GM had planned to install the engine in its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
While GM said it would consider a joint venture to built the engine, Automotive News said it would take at least a year to enter production.

Meanwhile, European manufacturers - including Audi, Daimler, Peugeot and VW - have moved ahead with clean diesel technology which has proved itself on the race track and in showroom sales, with almost half of the vehicles on the roads in Europe being diesel powered.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth