VW gives diesels a new start

Effective tomorrow, the first day of 2007, newly formulated, low-sulfur diesel fuel becomes the standard across the United States. We're told the new fuel will pollute less. It's expected to give diesel-powered passenger cars a new start in Massachusetts, where the sale of new diesels has been outlawed.

I hope it does. Diesels are efficient, durable, high-mileage engines that excite a loyal following from some practical automobilists who aren't afraid to defy convention.

Of course, in some parts of the world, diesel engines are conventional. They are hugely popular in Europe, where high taxes on motor fuels elevate pump prices, making people appreciate the high-mileage capabilities that are inherent in diesel engines.

But in the United States the situation is much more muddled. We all know that truckers rely on diesels for their fuel economy. But the rest of us can scarcely find a diesel-powered passenger car. Their outlawing by Massachusetts and just four other states is a relatively recent barrier. The larger problem is that the diesel-engine market in the U.S. never developed. Diesels had a shot at stardom in the 1970s and 1980s, when fuel prices that were higher than today's (when adjusted for inflation) made economy a new virtue. Americans might have embraced diesels, but then General Motors rushed out a diesel engine that was a such a disaster that it sabotaged the reputation of the entire technology.


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