Volkswagen is showing the Beetle TDI -- diesel -- at the Chicago auto show, another signal that automakers are moving faster into diesel power after years of hesitation and emphasis on hybrids and electrics.
VW, which already has diesel options for its Golf, Jetta, Passat and Touareg models, will be joined by new entrants in the U.S. market for diesel, such as General Motors, Mazda and Chrysler Group. Other makers, such as Honda, still are holding back some of their best, newest advanced diesels from the U.S., unsure whether buyers here will embrace them.
Diesels achieve about 30% better fuel economy than similar gasoline models. The latest generation — unfailingly called by automakers "clean diesels" — aren't smoky or noisy as were those of the past. But sales are being held down by diesel fuel prices, which typically top those of gasoline because of higher diesel taxes and greater global demand, and by worries about finding diesel filling stations.
Still, interest is rising. Auto parts maker Bosch said its own survey found 32% of U.S. consumers last year said they're willing to consider a diesel, up from 12% in 2006.
Automakers are answering the call:
"An avalanche of clean diesels coming into the market," should boost diesel vehicle sales, said Lars Ullrich, marketing director for Bosch Diesel Systems North America. "That makes us very optimistic."
When diesel versions of models are offered, consumers will snap them up. in certain models. About 85% of Volkswagen's Jetta SportWagen are sold in the diesel version despite it adding $1,250 to the car's $26,030 price tag.
Other VW diesels show similar popularity. More than half of Golfs are ordered with diesels, half of Touareg SUVs, and about a quarter of all Jetta sedans. The Beetle will be on sale in August, VW says.
Overall, sales of diesel-powered cars and trucks for consumers rose 27% to 111,000 in 2011, compared with 2010, says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. While he thinks passenger diesel sales will be relatively flat this year — "the calm before the storm" — he forecasts a significant rise in 2013 when the new models arrive. Expect new diesels from:
Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris
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