It's no secret to those of you who know me that I am a gearhead, and now and then I like to have a good discussion about cars. I have a Slovak friend at work who was kind enough to lend me a few issues of European Car magazine to browse through, and I ran across this today in the June 2007 issue. One of the columnists outlined some of the history of hybrid technology, which was first developed by European car manufacturers (and actually goes back to 1899, when Ferdinand Porsche raced a variant of a hybrid car). He then says,

With such a big lead and a heritage of hybrid technology, why are today's hybrids coming from Japan and the United States, and not from Stuttgart, Munich or Wolfsburg?

The answer is diesel. European manufacturers spent most of the 1990s perfecting turbocharged direct injection diesel technology so that it can produce incredible fuel economy while dramatically reducing emissions. Further research has brought the latest urea-injection technology, pioneered on European heavy trucks to the passenger segment, making these engines nearly as clean as the cleanest gasoline offerings.

Why should European manufactures place two drive systems (gas and electric) in a vehicle to attain 30 to 40 mpg when they can get the same results using a single modern direct injection diesel engine? European engineers simply scratch their heads when you ask them why they aren't building a hybrid...Europe's manufacturers have steadfastly held their positions that a new modern diesel is a better solution than a hybrid.

And rightly so, I think. Two engines will inevitably cost you more than one, both in initial cost and later on in repair costs. Plus, the technology for strong, reliable, and very efficient diesel engines is already there. Consider this as well: according to a Popular Mechanics comparison test, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI will return better highway fuel mileage than the Toyota Prius, and costs less overall (factoring in taxes and destination charges). On top of that, the 140hp and 236 ft. lb. Jetta will effortlessly leave the wimpy 75hp Prius in the dust. The Jetta is also larger and far more comfortable and accomodating.

Americans have an aversion to diesel technology, which is not surprising given the horrible diesel engineering they were subject to in the '70s and '80s (remember those Oldsmobile diesels?). But times have changed. For example, as I mentioned in an earlier post, BMW's new 335d will do 0-60 in six seconds flat (as fast as a Charger R/T) and get a claimed 36 mpg at highway speeds (compared to the Charger's measly 22).

There is a lot to be said for diesel technology, and I would not be surprised to eventually see diesels replace hybrids as the eco-friendly engine of choice. The technology is already there and continually being improved on. Would you buy a diesel?