[dd74]

Publishers of magazines and consumer experts have been saying on the side that diesel really won't take off here in the U.S. One reason is obvious: the price of diesel and the inability for more to be made available. And that price, like all fuel, is due to increase very soon (no, the drop won't be permanent), as availability has more-or-less plateaued.

2) the communication of diesel has been piss-poor to American consumers. Only Audi has gone on a nationwide tour to tout the benefits of diesel over gasoline, such as in the efficiency to burn rate, clean-air technology through the urea system, massive amounts of available power, and overall fuel efficiency.

3) American car companies feel it's just simpler to build more efficient gasoline engines. Like Ford's Ecoboost engine which is really just a VW-like direct-injected turbo four, but that nonetheless produces upwards of 300 hp, small, very powerful four and six-cylinder engines are the new powerplants for American manufacturers. It's great stuff, but none of these motors produce diesel-type torque, which is needed in day-to-day driving.

4) Because of the price of diesel fuel, the poor communication of diesels' advantageousness toward every form of driving - including race driving - as well as America's preconceived notion that the only source of fuel for automobiles is gasoline, some European and Asian manufacturers are beginning to shy away from the idea to import their diesels into this country. Even more stunning is Cadillac's hesitation to sell its diesel CTS, which is more powerful in torque than its Corvette-powered CTS-V, here in The States. So, in a sense, those manufacturers who have already committed - Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Subaru, and a few others, may be the only choice we have in the diesel arena. Others - and there are many others - may not come to our shores with their product.

Here's my thought on this: we need to subsidize diesel in this country, just as they do in Europe. In short, in most European countries, they tax diesel fuel less than gasoline, which is the impetus for the 70-30 new car buying ratio diesel enjoys over gasoline-powered cars. In other cases, we could also introduce tax breaks for diesel ownership. If we were to do that here, we could mitigate fuel consumption, have immediately better environmental conditions, and more operating power per owner than can be imagined with standard sedans, SUVs and sports cars.

This is just an observation after some lengthy conversations I've had with a few "experts" in the diesel field. I'd love to hear (read) whatever anyone on PPOT has to say about this. Personally, I think it's sad that some regard diesel in America as dead before it has even had a chance to surface to the consumer.