Commercial vehicle sales (mostly diesel) in the European Union fell 12.3% in January 2010 vs. January 2009, according to data released by ACEA (the European vehicle-makers association) last week.

China Yuchai International officials Feb. 25 reported that net income in 2009 nearly tripled, to RMB 628 million (US$92 million), compared with RMB 240 million (US$35.2 million) for 2008.

Infiniti officials announced late last month that they’ve decided to join Europe’s dieselization parade, with a new 3-liter, V6 engine developed with Renault and Nissan.

Cummins and Valvoline officials announced Feb. 24 that they’ve created what they’re calling the “Fleetguard-Valvoline Air Shield Diesel Exhaust Fluid” alliance to market urea in bottles, drums and totes for new diesel vehicles equipped with urea-selective catalytic reduction tailpipe emissions control systems.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) officials announced Feb. 22 that they’ve licensed their low-speed marine diesel engine technology to Zhejiang Yungpu Heavy Machinery (Yungpu) in China's Zhejiang province.

In the U.S. market, medium- and heavy-duty truck sales rose in January for the first monthly gain in three years, according to an Automotive News report last week.

Caltex officials reported Feb. 22 that 2009 “replacement cost operating profit” (RCOP, which excludes the impact of crude price jumps or falls) rose to Aus$324 million (US$ million) vs. Aus$186 million (US$ million) in 2008, excluding the write-down of the Kurnell lube-oil plant in Australia last year.

Ohio-based TravelCenters of America LLC officials announced Feb. 24 that net losses for the diesel truckstop chain more than doubled in 2009, to US$89.8 million, from a $40 million loss in 2008.

According to a report from Turkey Today quoting Turcas Petrol chairman Erdal Aksoy, local petrochemicals firm Petkim aims to invest US$4 billion to $5 billion in a new 10-million-ton-per-year capacity refinery next to its existing Aliaga petrochemical facilities, starting-up in 2014.

BP officials late last month publicly criticized government-owned PetroSA’s proposed 400,000-barrel-per-day crude refinery project at Coega, South Africa, saying it isn’t needed in a world awash with excess refining capacity.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. officials announced last week that they’re upgrading a diesel hydrotreating unit this month, in a run-up to Euro-4 (50 parts per million sulfur) mandates taking effect in 13 India “mega-cities” starting April 1.

ConocoPhillips made its first sale of Euro-4 (50 parts per million sulfur) diesel fuel to India’s Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd., according to a Reuters report last week.

Middle distillate prices in major world futures and spot markets jumped last week thanks to refinery strikes in Europe, continuing cold weather, output declines and stock drops.

Distillate prices started easing following the end of strikes at refineries in France.

Compressed natural gas was supposed to be a salvation for many diesel-powered buses in Manila. But bus operators are so angry about the scheme that they’re now asking the government to pay to convert their vehicles back to diesel fuel.