Diesel Sales Rise Along with Gas Prices
Increase in diesel vehicle sales signals that U.S. drivers’ attitudes toward the fuel have changed.
By Douglas Newcomb 15 hours ago
Due to high gas prices, Americans attitudes toward diesel-powered vehicles may have finally turned the corner. Sales on what some drivers derisively call “oil burners” have risen significantly so far this year, according to a new study. And this comes on the heels of an almost 30 percent increase in 2011.
A joint report from Hybridcars.com and the research company Baum and Associates shows that sales of diesel vehicles in the U.S. increased in the first three months of 2012. Compared to last year, January sales rose 21.2 percent, jumped 42.9 percent in February and in March sales rose 39.0 percent.
“This 35 percent increase in clean-diesel auto sales during the first quarter of 2012 is a continuation of the 27 percent sales jump in 2011,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, in a statement.
Unsurprisingly, diesel sales have risen right alongside fuel prices. And although diesel fuel costs slightly more than gasoline, vehicles that use it can get up to 40 percent better mileage, which makes diesels an attractive alternative for the cost-conscious.
This trend should continue, since several new vehicles available in the U.S. are scheduled to get fuel-efficient diesel engines. These include European vehicles like the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Cayenne and the Audi A8, A6 and Q5.
Diesels have long been popular in Europe and elsewhere. But several domestic vehicles are also slated to be fitted with diesels, such as the Chevrolet Cruze, Jeep Grand Cherokee and new Cadillac ATS.
I've long been fans of diesels. However, there are not a lot of disel options currently available in the US. They have gotten cleaner as far as emissions goes. They produce more power than gas and they have long been used on heavy machinery and europe. They are just as reliable as gas cars. The drawback is that they are generally priced thousands higher than gas cars. I don't think people are willing to put up the increase startup investment and keep cars long enough to recoup the cost of buying them.
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