Nissan today confirmed that a concept clean diesel engine unveiled in Frankfurt by its Alliance partner Renault will be the basis for the clean diesel engine planned for the Nissan Maxima in 2010 for the U.S. market.

The 3.0-liter V6 dCi Concept engine was designed within the Renault-Nissan Alliance with Renault having much of the engineering responsibility and Nissan providing performance target settings and package optimization. The companies will market the engine separately in keeping with the Alliance commitment to maintain each company's distinct brand identity.

Specifications for the engine to be used in the Maxima have not been fully determined. During the V6 dCi Concept engine's development, particular attention was paid to power output, torque, noise control and respect for the environment, including achieving the rigid Tier2 BIN5 emissions standards in the United States.

The V6 dCi Concept engine features, among other things, specially designed air intake ducts which increase combustion speed through a swirl effect, a particulate filter and a nitrogen oxide processing system, which combine to produce high performance and respect for the environment, which are in line with the Nissan Green Program 2010. That program, announced late last year, is focused on three core areas related to the environment: 1) reducing CO2 emissions, 2) reducing exhaust emissions and 3) accelerating recycling efforts.