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The Diesels Are Coming The Diesels Are Coming - Not Soon Enough For TACH

2009 Volkswagen TDI Sportwagen

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Washington DC July 23, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that with the price of diesel fuel 10 percent or more above regular gasoline, automakers and enthusiasts for diesel-powered cars wonder if the technology will take off as they hope when several manufacturers increase their offerings in the next two years.

One company not so worried, though, is Volkswagen, which is close to delivering Jetta TDI sedans to people who have already put deposits down.

Howard Cooper Volkswagen in Ann Arbor, Mich., for example, tells BusinessWeek that a buyer putting money down today will probably have to wait until January to receive his car. Volkswagen of America plans to sell 15,000 TDI Jettas this year.(Why So Few TACH wants to know???)

But perhaps the company most fully invested in diesel engines is Global Vehicles of Alpharetta, Ga., which plans to roll out Mahindra-branded pickup trucks at the end of 2009. The pickups Mahindra plans to introduce are expected to get about 30 mpg, more than 50 percent better than full-sized pickups.

The hope among automakers is that cleaner diesel engines, combined with the cleaner low-sulfur diesel fuel, will be enough to "green" diesel's overall image.