Diesels set to return to US

[impetus19]

I think best thing to help diesels image is this...Even I was impressed when I saw it.
I think most people stay away from them b/c they think diesels are slow.

http://www.speedarena.com/news/publish/sportscar/printer_6324.shtml

 

[highender]

Much as I like Mercedes for their engineering, I have to blame the 240D/300D cars for being the primary reason why passenger diesels have a bad rep in the USA. Yes the GM diesels of the '70s were awful, but that was a generation ago, and those are long since gone from the roads.

Meanwhile those old Benz panzers just keep rattling along. God love 'em, they're un-killable. But each and every one is the slow, loud, stinky diesel that modern diesels are trying to live down. One 240D with bad injectors can easily undo the goodwill that ten TDIs generate.

Maybe the Diesel Car Trade Association, if there is one, should institute a buyback program for these dinosaurs. Or at least buy them all a new set of injectors and a pump re-calibration.

I agree. WHile I support the higher mileage and longevity of the mercedes...(which does also have the green effect of lasting very long) , I do also feel they cause a lot of misconceptions about modern diesels.

The ultimate green vehicle would last a long time, have ability to use alternative fuels , give relatively clean emissions , and save fuel....

IT would be great to have a hybrid diesel, , but the closest vehicle that fills the bill now is the TDI Vws........

 

[nicklockard]

Lifestyles...just add cetane

If anyone can market diesel engines and diesel fuel to the American public sucessfully, it is Subaru. That's all it takes is image. In America you have to convince people that a new *thing* either enhances their lifestyle (how's about 800 miles to the tank...I could build an entire ad campaign around that alone and sell tens of thousands of cars) or gives them a lifestyle (just add cetane.)

Americans like to be told what to wear, eat, drink, drive and how to be/act/look 'cool' like no other people on Earth.

So, tell them. Show them. Give them what they want/need. I think Subaru could definitely do it. Hell, they used to be seen as an 'alternative to a truck' car maker and reinvented themselves as a 'premium sports automobile' company. Pretty impressive to me.

Only in America...Example 2: Harley Davidson positioned a leaky, crappy old tractor motor as 'the coolest of the coolest' and pulled themselves out of the dirt and into a multi-billion $ icon back in the late 80's and throughout the 90's.

So I see no reason why a company like Subaru can't position diesel engines as the 'coolest of the cool' and take this wonderful technology beyond its die-hard fanatical cult following (ahem*...that would be us) and market it on a huge scale to the grocery getters.

To sum this up, I see several companies being capable of this kind of image marketing magic: Subaru, Volvo..basically all of the 'hip' brands with youth cachet. Whichever one positions it to be 'bio friendly' is going to beat the pants off of the others. Biofuels are here to stay. They will NOT go away; they will only grow in share/usage. If several 'youth oriented' car companies bring the 'diesel lifestyle' to us, that would be great (competition always is.)

 

[Tin Man]

Uh, Volvo being youth oriented in image? Gee, maybe pigs CAN actually fly. New one for me.

TM

 

[Tin Man]

There is a list of the top ten cars for seniors, but not one for youth.

Looking around, its Scion, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, VW, Mustang, BMW etc. that have more of the youth market, especially their smaller offerings.

Subaru, Prius, Honda, Saab and Volvo have the intellectual leftist university set, it seems, more than others. But I also see a smattering of other small cars as well as VW's and Audi's. Honorable mention to old Mercedes diesels I suppose.

TM

 

[Tuneman07]

With these gas prices getting severe- cruising around the loop/ southside last night I saw 3.99 for RUG at almost every station. I never saw 4 bucks for RUG but every station was 3.99- people are looking for economy. I think all it would take is any ad campaign from any company showing 40 or 50 mpg for a diesel car and that car would sell out. Europe needed economy a long time ago and they switched to diesel- now America is getting to where we need economy and diesel can really only increase.

 

[Dorado]

Honestly, everyday I am more and more convinced that the so-called image problem of diesels is not really there, if you are speaking of individuals US car buyers. Ordinary Americans do not buy diesel cars, simply because they are not for sale in the US. For 2007 there is one model for sale, and it is a 50k Mercedes! Talk about a free market! If you tell that to someone outside the US, they will not believe you.

To me, the "image" problem of diesels is more a "public relations" battle between environmental groups, carmaker lobbies, and politicians. They all use an anti-diesel stance in order to look like they are in favor of clean air, a better environment, etc. And they have all been working together so that emission regulations keep small diesels out of the US market.

 

[El Dobro]

Each time some reporter does a piece on tv about saving fuel, what do they end their segment with? Go hybrid. Let's see in 2008 when we're suppose to see more diesels here that they're even mentioned.

 

[ezshift5]

....I think all it would take is any ad campaign from any company showing 40 or 50 mpg for a diesel car and that car would sell out. .

.....amen, brother.....been driving my oil-burning Rabbit PU (on the left coast, diesel runs 2.85/RON 87 3.12) much more as of late. Safety called for timing belt, rear brakes, wheel cylinders, hand brake cables............

I'm not really complaining, the little 1.6 is like family.........like grandfather (w/290 odo)...............

Keeping my options open................when can I reasonably expect a small diesel trucklet to hit our shores?



...cheers..........ez