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Diesel Overview

Diesel engines are a staple in the industrial sector and are quite common in foreign consumer vehicles. The industrial sector prefers diesel engines to petrol engines, as they are safer, more efficient, provide more torque at a lower rpm, and are significantly more reliable. These qualities make diesel engines the most versatile. The spectrum of use ranges from small portable generators that can fit in the back of a small truck, to locomotive sized engines that power the largest mining trucks in the world.

While diesel is the preferred engine of the global industrial sector, the consumer sector is a bit divided between petrol and diesel engines. The divide lies primarily between the United States and the rest of the world (excluding pickup trucks). Most foreign countries have long since used diesel engines in compact cars, mid-size sedans, and full size sedans. Mercedes-Benz, then Daimler-Benz, pioneered the first mass produced diesel engine automobile in 1936. Since then Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, and other major auto manufacturers have jumped on the diesel bandwagon.

Notice that none the major auto manufacturers mentioned above are in the United States. In America diesel is just catching on in the consumer market (again, excluding pickup trucks). While manufacturers like Volkswagen have been producing ultra efficient diesel models such as the Golf Turbo Diesel Injection (TDI) for years, it’s only recently getting notoriety. Slowly but surely diesel is seeping into American auto manufacturers. A clear sign of this event is in Chrysler. Chrysler had never produced a diesel vehicle until the Jeep Liberty. Released just after the new millennium was the Jeep Liberty Common Rail Diesel (CRD) equipped with either a 2.5L or 2.8L. The small yet mighty diesel engines available for the Jeep Liberty CRD were VM Motori engines. VM Motori was an Italian diesel engine manufacturer that was purchased twice over before landing in the lap of Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC). DDC was later purchased by DaimlerChrysler AG, hence the Liberty CRD.

In retrospect, the Jeep Liberty was a failed Daimler Chrysler AG attempt to break into the mid-sized diesel SUV market. In 2008 when the latest revision of the Jeep Liberty debuted, the diesel was nowhere to be found. Chrysler could not keep up with the stringent emissions standards. Given Chrysler’s current economic bind, I wouldn’t expect to see a diesel sedan or mid-sized SUV surface anytime soon. With the wealth of advances foreign auto manufactures have made over the years with small diesel engines, it's hard to imagine any American auto manufacturer gaining substantial market share with a diesel sedan or mid-sized SUV. Foreign manufacturers now have diesel sedans and mid-sized SUV’s down to an art. Their global market share dominates and is only likely to increase.

These days diesel is working its way into even the hottest cars. For example, Audi's sexy R8 V12 TDI. Despite the R8 TDI being a race car, it's promising to see exotic diesels being flaunted. In the less sexy category there are basic compact cars and sedans are getting more popular in the United States. The diesel Volkswagen Atlantic/Fox (now Jetta) has been available in America since 1979. While the Jetta itself has taken roughly 15 years to catch on, the most recent versions of the Jetta TDI have spread to consumers like wildfire. While not quite as popular as the petrol Jetta, the Jetta TDI is gaining more and more attention. This attention to the TDI is evident by the growth in available aftermarket parts. These days Jetta TDIs are getting modified and are able to keep pace with well modified petrol cars!