Nissan confirmed a clean-diesel version of the Nissan Maxima for 2010 back in April 2007. Now that the new redesigned 2009 Nissan Maxima is here, the long-awaited first clean diesel for the U.S. from Nissan may debut with a manual-only transmission.

Why only manual? Well the new M9R diesel that Nissan announced last week gets its extra power from a turbocharger. According to Yo Usuba, senior vice president in charge of powertrains, Nissan feels that the lag between stepping on the accelerator and feeling the turbo kick-in for on a diesel may turn away buyers.

The solution would be to pair the turbodiesel with a manual transmissions since manuals offer a more fluid acceleration than automatics.

The Nissan clean-diesel X-Trail SUV, which arrives on the Japanese market in September, will also be offered in manual only.

According to Nissan, the new M9R 2.0L 4-cylinder engine is expected to offer 20 percent better gas mileage than its 2.0L gasoline engine counterpart.

2009 Nissan Maxima:

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)