Why so few diesel -engined passenger cars in the USA/Canada?

They WILL be back!!

I have had a diesel 1986 Isuzu P'up, a 1984 diesel Chevy Chevette (with 1.8 liter Isuzu engine), and a 1980 Olds Cutlass 5.7 diesel.

I REALLY WISH more diesels were available....and I HAVE been writing to the car makers to bring them back!!

The letters I get back usually state:

"we perform market surveys, and we have determined no one will buy them"

It is too bad....But Mercedes sells them,

Jeep does offer a Liberty with a mercedes diesel now (finally!) and

Volkswagen still sells them (but they are junk)

As fuel prices rise, you will begin to see more and MORE diesel cars in the USA.

I have access to a machine shop, so I am installing a turbocharged Mitsubishi Fuso engine in my pickup truck, by myself.

I guess if the factories won't build it,

I WILL HAVE TO DO IT, MYSELF!

Theres no such thing as odor from a diesel engine, i own a 2007 Silverado with a diesel engine but one big problem that people dont like is the noise they make. Yes they are proven to be more economical than gas powered cars but people just dont seem to like the noise, some people actually think that the noise diesel engines makes, it means that there is something wrong with the engine but that is not the case, another reason why the US doesnt make that many diesel engine passenger cars would be that the US gets money from the petroleum consumed by the citizens, in my opinion. I definitely think that there should be more diesel powered passenger cars

Diesels do get better fuel mileage than gas powered vehicles, but the trade off is the emissions, diesels burn dirtier than gasoline cars. Also, diesels cost more to manufacture than gasoline engines, and are more costly to repair as well. Many manufacturers have made significant improvements in recent years in diesel technology, and they burn much cleaner than their counterparts of 20 or more years ago. You will see more and more diesel and flex/fuel vehicles being produced in the near future though.

Because they are loud, and they stink. Women that go to work in an office, or even exec women wouldn't be able to get enough perfume to eliminate the odor after driving a diesel to work, us guys wouldn't care much, except the long showers our wives would make us take after driving home from work. Why can't someone invent an economic steam car? or maybe an electro MAGNETIC engine? These are natural resources too, I just never understood that. Great question, thanks. I hope you liked my answer. Ron

(A couple days later here) I saw a Chevy truck today, and it was definately diesel, and it was loud, but I didn't smell the usual odor, it was a newer model, 2006 or 07, so maybe they are making improvements, I hope so.

The short answer is not much consumer demand, noisier, less efficent in colder climates, cost more to buy diesel cars and the cost of fuel is a third of what it is in Europe so the fuel saving take forever to recover given the higher purchase price.

one big problem is emissions. when people hear the word diesel they still think loud dirty black smoking trucks. no one thinks that diesels can be clean and fuel efficient. california doesn't sell any diesels for it says that diesels pollute the air. if there are other reasons beyond emissions it is beyond public knowledge, and/or they hide the reasons by just making emissions standards more strict.

thats what i think.

Odor and Noise !!