Audi exec explains diesel resurgence in US

[regfootball]

to an airhead anchor on CNN

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/business/2013/10/01/audi-pushes-diesel-intv.cnn.html

[Intrepidation]

Definitely an airhead, wow.

[ocnblu]

I hope she's only "playing" stupid. Anyhow, dude stayed on message. Diesels rock.

[G. David Felt]

Nice Message of consistency from Audi. CNN Anchor is a moron.

[Drew Dowdell]

and she probably got in her ES350 and drove home completely oblivious.

[regfootball]

Silly Drew, she drives an RX, not an ES! CROSSOVER!!!!

[pow]

She asked questions that the public wants to know. Highlighting the fact that diesel is more expensive at the pump is a valid concern, as well as how diesel faces a perception problem in the US and represents only a small portion of overall vehicle sales.

[Drew Dowdell]

She asked questions that the public wants to know. Highlighting the fact that diesel is more expensive at the pump is a valid concern, as well as how diesel faces a perception problem in the US and represents only a small portion of overall vehicle sales.

Agreed... they were softball questions really... but she still came off as a ditz

[ocnblu]

Devil's advocate.

[smk4565]

Scott is right about the tax, if you tax diesel and gas the same, then the price of diesel and premium should be the same, and all these German cars run on premium so it makes the cost per gallon the same at that point, and the 30% mpg gain for diesel gives it a huge win. Also with more demand, maybe supply is upped, no reason diesel couldn't end up cheaper than 87 octane in the future, again taxes could play a role there.

I think diesel is the near future, BMW is running ads like crazy too, when people see 400lb ft of torque and 40 or 45 mpg, they are going to want that. And I still believe whatever Mercedes, BMW and Audi do becomes the hot thing, and everyone else will copy it. When Audi had Quattro and Mercedes 4Matic, suddenly every Lexus and Infiniti, then Cadillac and Jaguar started doing all wheel drive.

[balthazar]

Didn't mercedes copy audi there?
Remember; Cadillac has FWD first, now all the germans are copying Cadillac there.

[regfootball]

All our semi trucks run diesel, look at the govt cash cow for all that fuel tax........you think they'll give up that gravy train? If they know you'll get 30% more mpg, than of course they'll figure they are entitled to tax it more to make up that difference.

It is true though, if the tax were the same, diesel FTW. Perhaps the euros are shooting for some crony capitalism here, if they posture for better diesel acceptance, than they would be the ones to score a big advantage due to their better execution of diesel and perception in the market. Clearly they would rather rely on diesel than hybrids.

Not sure why it always has to go back to the diesels of the 70's and 80's, that is a long time ago.

If diesel does make a big resurgence, I am sure the greenies will move to squash it again.

Imagine a little 1.6l Sonic turbo diesel chugging away and making 50+ mpg like no one's beeswax.