Diesel comeback: Model tally set to double for 2014

[zoog]

'Who could have known?' as we like to say

At 46 miles per gallon highway, the new Chevy Cruze Turbo Diesel gives even hybrids a run for their (gas) money.

The number of diesel models on the U.S. market should double during the 2014 model-year, according to various industry-watchers, the high-mileage powertrain technology set to get its biggest boost since falling out of favor with American motorists back in the 1980s.

The surge reflects the advent of new diesel technology that not only maintains an estimated 30 percent mileage advantage over gasoline engines, but also resolves traditional concerns such as noise, roughness and foul-smelling emissions...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100981467

WASHINGTON – Diesel vehicle sales could explode the next few years, hitting as much as 10% of new vehicle sales by 2018, according to an expert panel here...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...cedes/2692729/


...Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed an ultra-efficient new engine that runs on a combination of natural gas and diesel. When combined with a battery and electric motor to make a hybrid vehicle, it could allow a car to get the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon, the researchers say...
http://www.technologyreview.com/news...80-mpg-hybrid/

Diesel is a more complex set of hydrocarbons with a higher energy density than gasoline by volume. It burns dirtier but anti-pollution technology has caught up. New diesel BMW models are already on the market in California and other states with stringent air pollution laws. Every major auto manufacturer plans to have new diesel models available in 2010, at least those that are still in business. These cars will average 50MPG. By 2012 we'll see diesel hybrids that will average 75MPG. Smaller cars will acheive 100MPG plus.

Well... optimistic as usual on the timing. But still.