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Diesel fuel prices are hovering about 20 above gasoline on average. It seems that automakers are a bit worried this disparity could have a negative impact on their upcoming diesel-powered cars and trucks. While it’s true that Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are already rolling out new oil-burners in all 50 states with positive results, there remains a concern that there are only so many buyers willing to spend extra to get a more efficient engine and then pay extra to fill it up. At a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on diesel fuel prices today, a spokesperson for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers fell short of suggesting what to do about the situation, choosing instead to highlight the fact that diesel fuel is taxed more than gasoline, whereas in Europe where oil-burners are much more popular, the opposite is true. Reading between the lines a bit, it’s not hard to see his point.

Porsche has definitely been testing diesel-powered versions of the Cayenne SUV as evidenced by the recent spy shots of on filling up from a diesel pump in northern Sweden. However, that doesn’t mean the Stuttgart-based high performance manufacturer has definitively decided to actually produce such a beast. Klaus Berning, Porsche’s head of sales and marketing has said that a diesel Cayenne won’t come to market unless it can be a sales success in the U.S. market. So far, there have only been a handful of light duty diesels available and none at all in some of the biggest markets like California. Later this year a flood of new clean diesels will start hitting the market in all fifty states including the new VW Jetta TDI, a trio of Mercedes SUVs and the BMW X5 and 335d. Early next year, the Cayennes cousins - the VW Touareg and Audi Q7 - will join the party with a 3.0L V-6 TDI. Porsche will be closely watching the U.S. market acceptance of all these new models and if American drivers take to them in significant numbers, Porsche will move forward. Since the U.S. is the largest market for the Cayenne, if diesel sales are lackluster, Porsche will likely just hold off until the hybrid is ready for market. If the Q7 TDI I drove for the last few days is any indication, torque loving Americans will snap them up.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req’d]