Photo: BMW
The dirty and slow image that Americans have about diesel-engined cars is rapidly changing, with the introduction of ever-cleaner and ever more refined compression-ignition powerplants. The entire US automotive market grew by 13.8% in 2012, while the number of diesel-engined cars bought this year also went up, by 25.6% - more than 100,000 diesels have been sold in the US so far in the year.
Hybrids also did well, recording a 67.8% increase in sales, according to dieselforum.org. September was marked by a 44% jump, compared to last year’s numbers, and it was the biggest growth figure recorded thus far. This is due in no small part to the variety of excellent diesel-engined cars available for purchase - no fewer than 31 different vehicles, and more are set to come within the next 18 months, from Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and GM.
Now that American buyers have begun accepting diesels as a viable alternative to petrol-powered vehicles, the next step is for them to accept that diesel cars can be and are fun to drive and extremely quick in real-world traffic conditions - considerably quicker and much more relaxed than any petrol engine. If BMW brings its 125d or the tri-turbo engined 5-Series, then perhaps they stand a better chance of setting things in motion.
Now that American buyers have begun accepting diesels as a viable alternative to petrol-powered vehicles, the next step is for them to accept that diesel cars can be and are fun to drive and extremely quick in real-world traffic conditions - considerably quicker and much more relaxed than any petrol engine. If BMW brings its 125d or the tri-turbo engined 5-Series, then perhaps they stand a better chance of setting things in motion.
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