A commercially viable diesel reformer for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) needs to be low-cost, durable with high efficiency in converting heavy hydrocarbon fuels to hydrogen rich reformate. Reported here are our recent progresses in studying the critical issues existing for the catalytic autothermal reforming (ATR) method. We have prepared a variety of perovskite type metal oxide catalysts and evaluated the hydrogen yield, reforming efficiency and COx selectivity under ATR reaction condition. We found that the performances of some of these catalysts have approached or exceeded a benchmark, high-cost rhodium based material. The details of the catalytic activity study, together with the structural characterization, will be discussed. Parallel to the catalyst development, we also investigated the diesel fuel/air mixing dynamics using a newly constructed test apparatus outfitted with a commercial diesel injector. The details of this study will also be presented.