Japan saw Nissan Motor Corp. launch its first clean-diesel vehicle on Thursday, with the aim to create a new market by claiming the fuel as eco-friendly. A powerful acceleration is provided by the new X-Trail 20 GT sports-utility vehicle, as it is supported by an M9R engine.

The vehicle compiles with some of the world’s strictest emissions standards, which will come into effect across Japan in October 2009.

The Japan’s third –largest automaker announced, “The car increases fuel economy by 30 percent over a 2.5-litre gasoline engine and cuts carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 percent.”

The customers in Japan dislike the diesel car since they are noisy and smelly, but Nissan would introduce this car with the hope that this perception could be changed.

While in Europe diesel cars are sold near bout to 60%, but in U.S. and Japan the digits are in single digits.

Nissan's chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga reported at a news conference, “From now on we will build the image of diesel in Japan and aim to expand our sales by communicating the diesel engine's appeal one by one to customers. We need to transform each customer's perception and idea into something positive.”

The company as of now is moving ahead with the test-launch of the car, to see the response of the users, and to determine whether the car would catch up in the market or not. The company also informed that this car may cost 20% more as compared to normal cars but the benefits in the long run are more. The car has been priced at nearly three million yen (27,700 dollars) including consumption tax.