Americans Don't Think Much of Diesels

According to a recent survey by Kelley Blue Book, new-car shoppers don’t think much of the advances in clean-diesel technology. Only 6% of those interviewed gave diesel a chance of succeeding as a mainstream power train type. In contrast, 40% said hybrids would succeed, 20% cited hydrogen fuel cells and 17% named flexible-fuel systems.

This attitude, however, does not reflect technological reality. In fact, the gulf between perception and reality could not be wider. We’ve written previously about the advantages of new clean-diesel technology, which competes well with hybrid technology when it comes to cost and efficiency. Also, unlike fuel cells, the technology and infrastructure to build and support diesel engines already exists (and at a reasonable price). Finally, diesel engines can be run on biodiesel fuel, whose carbon emissions are offset by the plants used in its production.

All the same, the Kelley Blue Book study found that car shoppers have some fairly drastic misconceptions about diesel engines. Nearly half think they are dirty and noisy. Couple that with the unfounded perception that diesel vehicles get lower fuel mileage than conventional gasoline engines, and it’s not hard to understand the lack of interest in diesel. For the record, both those assumptions are inaccurate. Diesel engines on sale in U.S. cars now are by and large as clean as their gasoline-burning brethren and get significantly better gas mileage.

Even as Mercedes, BMW, Jeep, Honda and Volkswagen attempt to transfer their diesel success for cars and SUVs in the European market to the states, they will all have to overcome the hurdle of a skeptical — and apparently misinformed — American market.

Survey: US New-Car Shoppers Do Not See Diesels as a Likely Mainstream Powertrain (Green Car Congress)