Diesel passenger cars grow 27.5% in the US market

It’s hardly surprising that a car like the Volkswagen Golf fitted with a TDI engine is the most used car in Spain. What does surprise us is that sales of diesel passenger cars have risen 27.5% in the US, a country that leans conservative in most of its states and has a special fondness for petrol and large-displacement engines; petrol is still a religion there.

As we said, in the US, sales of diesel passenger cars have risen by 27.5%, representing a total of 61,214 vehicles (not including pick-ups, which are much larger), according to a study by Hybridcars.com and Baum & Associates. And that’s only the first six months of the year! The reasons could be many: from the increase in low-end torque to the lower price of diesel. Admittedly, in total they represent 0.8%…

The German brands Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes are the three that import the most diesels into the land of the great plains. Of all the Audi A3s sold, 65% have TDI engines, while the percentage drops to 37.1% in the case of the Q7. Volkswagen, for example, sells 21% of its Passats with a TDI engine. Fortunately, they still have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to make diesel as popular as it is in Europe.

Upcoming diesel launches

Even more diesel models are expected in the coming years. BMW will bring its 230d and 520d models with 2000cc engines and the six-cylinder 3000, the 530d. But they won’t stop there, as its subsidiary Mini will also bring a diesel version. Audi will import a diesel variant of its entire range, from the A3 to the A8, while its “boss” Volkswagen will launch the Beetle and the Tiguan in TDI versions. In turn, Mercedes is expected to introduce the S350CDi BlueTec and the A-Class.

But it won’t only be Old World brands that arrive in the US with diesel potential. In Japan, people are also beginning to look favourably on the idea of pursuing this type of fuel further: Mazda will bring its 2.2 Skyactiv-D. There is also talk that Kia, with its Optima TDI, could become the second Asian manufacturer to enter America with diesel.

All that remains is for local brands to dare to produce diesel variants, something Jeep could do with the Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel and the Dakota TDI. Chevrolet might come forward with a Cadillac ATS and Ford with a Transit. But for now, this is a long way off: beyond 2014.

And what about you, do you think diesel could end up eroding or weakening petrol in the US?

Via | Autoblog