Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[GM marketing boss Mark LaNeve apparently unaware that diesel is now cheaper than gas]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/05/gm-marketing-boss-mark-laneve-apparently-unaware-that-diesel-is/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/05/gm-marketing-boss-mark-laneve-apparently-unaware-that-diesel-is/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/05/gm-marketing-boss-mark-laneve-apparently-unaware-that-diesel-is/#commentsFiled under:

Over the last several years, we've heard a lot of excuses from many auto executives as to why their companies aren't offering diesel engines in their American market cars. Yesterday, General Motors' Mark LaNeve, the company's vice president of sales and marketing, made an appearance on C-SPAN's Washington Journal. The final question of the segment came from a viewer wondering why GM has failed to offer U.S. consumers the chance to buy some of the high-mileage diesel cars it offers in Europe.

It would appear that LaNeve might have done better to take a pass on the question. Instead of talking about the cost of making those diesels meet U.S. emissions regulations or the difficulty in helping Americans overcome the misconceptions about the fuel, he claimed that no one has successfully cracked the diesel passenger nut in the U.S. (which based on VW's May sales appears to be wrong). More startlingly, LaNeve went on to claim that diesel is $1.25 a gallon more expensive than gasoline. According to the Energy Information Agency, the national average for diesel this week is $2.35 / gallon while regular gas is $2.52 or $0.17 more than diesel. Admittedly, the fact that diesel is now cheaper than 87 octane gas is a recent development (a trend that nobody is sure how long it will last), but - going on national television and quoting outdated fuel prices as a reason for your bankrupt company's business decisions... well, that doesn't strike us as a terribly hot idea.

You can hear the question and response at 20:30 into the video replay over at C-SPAN.

[Source: C-SPAN]

GM marketing boss Mark LaNeve apparently unaware that diesel is now cheaper than gas originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>c-spandieseldiesel pricediesel pricesDieselPriceDieselPricesGeneral MotorsGeneralMotorsGMGm executiveGmExecutivemark laneveMarkLaneveFri, 05 Jun 2009 10:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19058319/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/06/05/gm-marketing-boss-mark-laneve-apparently-unaware-that-diesel-is/19058319/article-detail.xml 19058319 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/06/mark-laneve-c-span_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/06/mark-laneve-c-span.png <![CDATA[PSA: Diesel fuel now cheaper than regular-grade gasoline]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/psa-diesel-fuel-now-cheaper-than-regular-grade-gasoline/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/psa-diesel-fuel-now-cheaper-than-regular-grade-gasoline/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/14/psa-diesel-fuel-now-cheaper-than-regular-grade-gasoline/#commentsFiled under:




As of Monday, May 11th, the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel in the U.S. was $2.216, while the average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline was $2.240. That's a big deal, as diesel fuel has historically cost a least a bit more than premium gasoline here in the United States. Obviously, that trend is slowly changing. Towards the end of March, there were many areas of the country where diesel fuel was less expensive than gasoline, and today, that trend has taken hold on a national level.

Although this may seem like excellent news for automakers interested in selling diesel vehicles in the States, it has pretty much proven impossible to accurately predict what fuel prices will be more than a few weeks in advance. So, while it may seem likely that automakers would be more willing to bring efficient oil-burning cars to the American market in light of these favorable diesel prices, we wouldn't recommend getting your hopes up. However, if you already own a whirling derv, you may just have enough extra scratch at the end of the week to get yourself that cup of Starbucks.

[Source: Energy Information Administration]

PSA: Diesel fuel now cheaper than regular-grade gasoline originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>average diesel priceAverageDieselPricedieseldiesel fueldiesel fuel pricediesel fuel pricesdiesel pricediesel pricesDieselFuelDieselFuelPriceDieselFuelPricesDieselPriceDieselPricesThu, 14 May 2009 10:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1545996/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/05/14/psa-diesel-fuel-now-cheaper-than-regular-grade-gasoline/1545996/article-detail.xml 1545996 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/05/diesel_price_511_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/05/diesel_price_511.jpg <![CDATA[Average diesel fuel price back below mid-grade gasoline nationwide]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/23/diesel-prices-back-below-regular-gas-in-michigan-below-mid-grad/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/23/diesel-prices-back-below-regular-gas-in-michigan-below-mid-grad/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/23/diesel-prices-back-below-regular-gas-in-michigan-below-mid-grad/#commentsFiled under: ,

Since the second half of 2007, the price of diesel in the U.S. has climbed from its historic level of selling at or below the price of regular gas to a point 15-to-20 percent higher than premium for much of 2008.

For automakers who have been planning on introducing new 50-state legal diesel vehicles in 2008-09 - as well as drivers looking forward to buying them - this has been a big problem. The price differential ate up much of the operating cost savings that many pricier diesel vehicles were still able to provide thanks to their greater efficiency. Even as gas prices dropped from their highs of $4 per gallon last summer to less than $2, diesel remained stubbornly expensive.

That situation has finally changed in recent weeks, though. On a trip to northern Michigan a couple of weeks ago, we started seeing stations actually selling diesel for less than regular gas for the first time in two years. That same scenario has now migrated to the Ann Arbor area, where we shot the sign to the right recently.

Nationwide, diesel is now averaging just under mid-grade gas at $2.023, while regular is at $1.910. In fact, according to the Energy Information Agency, the average price of diesel has plunged over 20 cents per gallon in the last six weeks, while the price of the various grades of gasoline has more-or-less held steady, keeping prices within one or two cents. Only time will tell if this is part of a larger trend or just a temporary dip.

[Source: Energy Information Agency]

Average diesel fuel price back below mid-grade gasoline nationwide originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dieseldiesel pricediesel pricesDieselPriceDieselPricesMon, 23 Mar 2009 11:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1495514/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/03/23/diesel-prices-back-below-regular-gas-in-michigan-below-mid-grad/1495514/article-detail.xml 1495514 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/03/cheap-diesel_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autobloggreen.com/media/2009/03/cheap-diesel.jpg <![CDATA[Average price of diesel drops below premium gas]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/20/average-price-of-diesel-drops-below-premium-gas/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/20/average-price-of-diesel-drops-below-premium-gas/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/20/average-price-of-diesel-drops-below-premium-gas/#commentsFiled under: ,



The diesel engine has never really gotten a fair shake here in the United States, for a variety of reasons. Beyond the biggest of consumer-grade pickup trucks, the majority of diesel engines offered here in the U.S. have been below par, souring many drivers on the notion that an oil-burner can work as everyday transportation. As evidenced by our recent review of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, however, those concerns are ancient history with today's crop of diesel-powered passenger vehicles.

So, what's holding American drivers back from demanding modern clean diesels? There are a few problems, and the high cost of diesel fuel has been one major deterrent. Perhaps that pricing disparity will also be a thing of the past, as the most recent national polling data shows that the average gallon of diesel fuel costs just under that of premium gasoline (218.6 pennies per gallon of diesel versus 219.8 for premium). The best news is that there is more potential energy in each gallon of diesel, making a full tank last longer and make more power than a comparable tank of gasoline. So, is it finally time to reconsider diesel?

[Source: EIA via The Car Connection]

Average price of diesel drops below premium gas originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dieseldiesel fueldiesel fuel pricediesel fuel pricesdiesel pricediesel pricesDieselFuelDieselFuelPriceDieselFuelPricesDieselPriceDieselPricesgreenFri, 20 Feb 2009 15:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1466676/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/02/20/average-price-of-diesel-drops-below-premium-gas/1466676/article-detail.xml 1466676 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/diesel_price_216_580_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/diesel_price_216_580_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Are fuel prices hurting acceptance of modern diesels?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/23/are-fuel-prices-hurting-acceptance-of-modern-diesels/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/23/are-fuel-prices-hurting-acceptance-of-modern-diesels/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/23/are-fuel-prices-hurting-acceptance-of-modern-diesels/#commentsFiled under: , ,


click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

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.

Check out our recent In the Autoblog Garage review of the 2009 VW Jetta TDI to hear our take on today's modern diesels.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Are fuel prices hurting acceptance of modern diesels? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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