In Europe it is strictly driven by tax policy. The Europeans would not
put up with diesels either if they had a real economic choice.
Gas is six bucks a gallon and diesel is only three bucks a gallon.
Something like that.
I lived in Spain for about a year, not long ago. Gas and diesel fuel
were priced rather closely, the difference being on the order of 10%.
Cost was about $4.00/gal. It's closer to $5.00/gal today due to the
changes in currency exchange rates.
Most people drive small cars in Europe. Taxes are based on sales price
and on engine displacement, and are considerably higher than in the US.
Taxes might be high, but the roads there are superb. Instead, we get
pre-rippled road construction in the US.
A relatively new phenomena was the use of small 4-cylinder turbo-diesels
in these small cars. For reference, a Ford Focus is considered to be a
large-ish car in Spain, and parking one on the street or in a garage can
be a challenge.
At any rate, the purchase ratio of diesels/gas powered automobiles was
60%/40%, respectively, and shifting in favor of the diesel. There was a
price premium of about 1,000 Euros for the diesel engine, too.
There were two primary reasons. First, although the cost of fuels was
comparable, the fuel economy of the turbo-diesels was clearly better,
resulting in lower cost of ownership. Emissions were lower, too, at
least according to the standards of compliance required in Spain.
Second, for city driving, these turbo-diesels are a blast to drive. The
Ford Focus with a turbo-diesel produced over twice the torque of the gas
engine. This was pretty typical of most makes, whether it was VW,
Renault, Peugeot, etc. I could slip the clutch at 750 rpm, floor it, and
be burning rubber at 2,000 rpm. Tire burnouts were no problem! :)
I, for one, look forward to the day when turbo-diesels are available in
plentitude in the US. However, I was under the impression that diesel
fuels in the US contain too much sulphur, making emissions compliance
problematic.
Regards,
Rob Weinstock