Is diesel power big in the USA ?

Question

Studies suggest that since 1973 the number of Privately owned Diesel engined passenger vehicles (cars) have gone from 2.9% of the UK Vehicle Owning public to just under 44.3% in 2006. Why is this?, Diesel is the same cost as Unleaded Fuel, Servicing tends to be more expensive and diesels need servicing more often, the noise is enough to drive you mad and you have to wait for glow plug lights to go off before you can start them. Why does the UK love diesel so much. Is this trend shared in the US ? In this country for every 1 Unleaded pump at the Petrol Stations there is 1 Diesel Pump.

Answer 1

Modern diesel technology has answered most, if not all, of your criticisms.
Modern diesel engines do not need more servicing than petrol engines.
The servicing may be cheaper (there are no spark plugs to replace).
The cars are cheaper to tax, and have a lower BIK tax rating (for company car users) than equivalent petrol cars due to their lower CO2 emissions (this is the biggest reason for increased sales).
The fuel consumption is much lower than a petrol engine.
The diesel engine's power delivery (lots of mid-range torque) suits modern driving.
The noise is only an issue at idle (and is much lower in modern engines than older ones). At cruising speed a diesel car is usually less noisy than an equivalent petrol car because the mid-range torque means the gearing can be higher, so the engine speed is lower.

Diesel engines have yet to make much on an impact in the US car market, partly due to a reputation that came from rushed development of diesel engines in the 1970s, partly due to the diesel fuel available there having too high a sulphur content to allow the cars to meet modern emission standards until last year, and partly due to the success of Honda and Toyota in persuading the American consumers that hybrid, not diesel, is the way to reduce fuel consumption. This may change over the next few years, as more manufacturers (led by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, VW) introduce modern diesel engines into their US car ranges.

Answer 2

Yes. All our Mercedes and some of the Volkswagens here are turning into diesels. Diesel is very popular in trucks, SUVs.and semi trucks. Our domestic manufacturers are now considering putting more diesel engines into our luxury cars and into more and more of our SUVs.

Answer 3

Until recently diesel was much cheaper than petrol, diesel engines last longer than petrol ones and most importantly you get a lot more mpg from diesel cars.