At the International Vienna Motor Symposium today, Volkswagen is introducing the production version of the BlueTDI, a next-generation turbo diesel developed especially for the North American market. Essentially the company reworked the European Tiguan's engine for the U.S. with internal engine modifications and a NOx trap. The new Jetta TDI will debut this summer, beating BMW, Mercedes, and Honda to the punch—and achieve "up to 60 mpg" on the highway, according to the automaker.

That number is suspect, since the company also said that the new engine's fuel economy is a 12 percent improvement on the older TDI, along with lower emissions. The older TDI averaged about 40 mpg depending on the car and the model year. So do the math and it's likely that the actual EPA numbers will be less than 60 mpg. Either way, it's welcome news.

The company said that a key feature of the 140 hp BlueTDI was the reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx); the American BIN5/LEV2 standards stipulate a nitrogen oxide limit of only 0.05 g/mile.

Source: Volkswagen Media Services. Right-hand-drive European Jetta shown above.