Diesel Sees A 27.4% Increase In 2011

William Maley

Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

January 13, 2012

2011 was a good year for diesel vehicles. A report done by the from the Diesel Technology Forum says sales of diesel vehicles in 2011 rose 27.4%.

The report states the overall growth of diesel vehicles in 2011 was at 10.2%, putting the increase ahead of the curve. Interestingly enough, the group says sales of hybrid vehicles were down 2.2%.

The report also states sales of diesel vehicles grow to over 6% of the U.S. market by 2015 and reach as high as 7.4% in 2017 when more diesel models hit the market.

Press Release is on Page 2

• A diesel version of the hot-selling Chevrolet Cruze will begin sales in the U.S. in 2013
  
• Mazda will become the first Asian car manufacturer to sell diesel cars in the U.S. when it introduces its SKYACTIV-D 2.2-liter clean diesel engine here
  
• The S350 BlueTEC marks the return of the diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz S-Class to the United States in 2012 after a 17-year absence
  
• The Volkswagen Passat, which was recently named the Motor Trend 2012 Car of the Year, began production of the Passat diesel in its new Chattanooga, TN plant in the summer of 2011.
  

"While most auto makers have clean diesel autos on the market in Europe, Asia and Australia, there are growing indications that even more diesels are on their way to the U.S. market," Schaeffer said.

By 2015, Baum and Associates expects diesel car sales to grow to 6.0 to 6.5 percent of the entire U.S. market, compared to just over 3.0 percent today. The research firm J.D. Power & Associates sees the U.S. diesel market share growing steadily to 7.4 percent by 2017.

ABOUT THE DIESEL TECHNOLOGY FORUM

The Diesel Technology Forum is a non-profit national organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and technology. Forum members are leaders in clean diesel technology and represent the three key elements of the modern clean-diesel system: advanced engines, vehicles and equipment, cleaner diesel fuel and emissions-control systems. For more information visit www.dieselforum.org.