Diesel Sales Up 27 Percent In The U.S., Says OEM-Sponsored Advocacy Group
A non-profit group backed by some major OEMs sent out a press release claiming that diesel vehicle sales are up by 27 percent in 2011 while hybrid sales are down by 2.2 percent. So, D’s up, [s]hoes[/s] hybrids down while you motherf***ers bounce to this?
“…diesels comprised 0.4% of the US car market, while hybrids were 4.3% of the market…If diesels gained 27% for 2011, then diesel sales now total a whopping 0.5% of the market. For every one sold, 199 other vehicles would have been powered by something else.”
As someone who consistently received D’s in math classes, I salute PCH 101 for his research. A look at the graphic above, showing who is behind the Diesel Technology Forum shows that this “non-profit” has a huge stake in[s] the financial success[/s] consumer acceptance of diesels. Diesel sales were actually down 0.1 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year, so the 2011 numbers are a net gain of zero. On the other hand, Hybrid sales doubled from 2009-2010, from 2.3% to 4.3% of market share.
Other blogs failed to do the sort of number crunching that PCH beat me to you see here, which suits the Diesel Technology Forum just fine. If everyone else just re-blogs press releases mindlessly while waiting for their next press car to get dropped off at their home, then the public digests the out-of-context information as a soundbite, and with oil-burning variants of the Mazda CX-5, Cadillac ATS, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Cruze and Mercedes-Benz S-Class all due out in the next couple of years, mindless acceptance of their party line is a good thing for the OEMs pushing diesel cars.
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Some people on here proudly admit to the Panther cult. I proudly admit to being a member of the VW IDI/TDI cult. I've owned 5 diesel VWs since 1998 - an '85 Jetta diesel, 89 Jetta TD, 2000 Jetta TDI, 2003 Jetta TDI and a 2002 Golf TDI. I no longer drive a lot of miles like I did a few years ago, but I still love my TDIs. One of the biggest things for me is that the smell of gasoline at the fuel pumps makes me sick. Diesel smells, but it's a lot less intense than gas and seems to take less time to go away if you get some on your skin. Aside from the stench of gas (and the horrible fuel economy in a gas powered car), I love diesels because of the low-end torque and how fun they are to drive. Plus I enjoy listening to diesel clatter and don't understand why people would want to feel like they're sitting on a couch inside an anechoic chamber on wheels when they're driving their cushy SUVs. And with the help of a resource like TDIclub, I never have to get bent over at a dealer for repairs. I am interested to see what will happen with the diesel Cruze and the Sky-D vehicles and how well they will be received by people that haven't experienced modern diesels.
Regarding the Diesel reliability issue: Almost every second car sold in Germany, for example, was Diesel-powered. Among cabs, I'd estimate the rate of Diesel cars is about 80-90%. (Their love with the Diesel started 1935 with the Mercedes 260 D.) All weird Masochists? Call me unconvinced. Do car makers sell different cars in the US than in Europe? (BTW: I'm no Diesel aficionado, never had one, just wonder.)