Talking to an Audi rep, and Diesels in the US

[Ingo Rautenberg]

Apparently nobody read the link I posted from the San Diego Union- 
Tribune in February.  Here's a snippet:

"The debut of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel Sept. 1 in California will  
bring not just cleaner-burning commercial trucks and buses, motor  
homes and heavy-duty pickups, it also will mean that diesel passenger  
cars will be coming back.  The new diesel fuel goes on sale in the  
rest of the country in mid-October.

At last month's Detroit auto show, five automakers announced plans  
for advanced diesel engines in cars and trucks. They could be sold as  
soon as next year.  Clean diesel engines are 20 percent to 40 percent  
more fuel-efficient than their gasoline counterparts. And they cut  
carbon dioxide emissions by up to 25 percent, said John Moulton,  
president of the powertrain division of Robert Bosch Corp., a  
manufacturer of automotive technology.

The diesel fuel in use now has sulfur content of up to 500 parts per  
million. Ultra-low-sulfur fuel must have no more than 15 ppm.  Sulfur  
in diesel combines with oxygen to create sulfur oxides, which are  
considered major air pollutants."

What they later mention in the article is that it actually takes more  
crude oil to refine one gallon of the newer diesel than for a gallon  
of gas.  However, that should be offset by the 30-40% fuel efficiency  
increase...

Ingo