According to Automotive News the big 6 (Honda, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota) have given up on Diesels here in the States due to spiraling cost and the EPA (They didn't say that about the EPA but I am).
Historically a diesel engine typically delivers fuel economy 20 percent to 30 percent better than that of a gasoline engine but now with all the emissions rules for Diesels here in the states that just isn't true any more and I know this to be true being the owner of a Cummins 6.7L. Now to meet the EPA rules these engines have a diesel particulate filter to collect the soot we're all use to seeing belching out of diesel trucks. The down side to this process is that in order to clear the filter of this collected soot the filter must reach a temperature in excess of 1000 F to burn it off and how do they get such a high temp you ask? They dump fuel into the exhaust stroke thus raising the Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) but also killing your MPG. Take into account that a diesel engine can add between $3,000 to $8,000 to a vehicle's price due to costly components like the turbocharger, the high-pressure fuel-injection system and the complex emissions system I just mentioned, which is filled with precious metals and why would the regular Joe want one?
We may have to go back to Horse's in order to tow anything but I unfortunately read that Horse's emit methane which is also a greenhouse gas so go figure?
