Quote:
Originally Posted by 1stpik
VW et al. can't sell diesels here because they can't meet EPA emissions.
I think this year or next, VW will have the diesel Jetta up to USA standards. They had to quit selling the TDI here two years ago because of the new regs.
I'm sure that a diesel-electric hybrid would get supreme mpg, but diesel has a few probs:
It's more expensive than gasoline for much of the year. Diesel fumes stink. Also, the new EPA-friendly diesels will be expensive.
Personally, I'm a fan of diesel cars. But they've been around much longer than hybrids, yet Americans have never warmed up to them. I doubt they'll catch on in any meaningful way.
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Diesels have some hurdles to overcome with consumer acceptance here in the US. I think part of the problem is that a lot of us are old enough to remember the previous attempts to put a small diesel engine in autos and light trucks. The "diesel bunny" (VW Rabbit) back in the 80s was pretty bad and so were a lot of GM's diesels that that company put in light trucks. The concept is sound enough, but only the heavy duty engines manufactured for the big rigs seem to be really worth a **** and that seems to hold pretty much true even today from what I've heard from current diesel owners. These folks are forever going on about how great their diesels are and then in the next sentence they launch into a litany of apologies for "the few" repairs their vehicles have had.
And then there are issues with the "smell" (a complaint from a former Mercedes diesel owner who now owns a Prius). The inconvenience of purchasing fuel, the waiting times in cold temps at start up/glow plugs, etc. No one wants to mess with that s**t except certain guys who are diehards for the technology.