Report: Bentley experimented with diesels, but poor salability means they won't be built

The words "diesel" and "Bentley" have flirted for some years now, but it never gets beyond that initial stage. Bentley isn't against oil burners, but its customers in the U.S. and Japan aren't ready to connect the two, and that makes the issue a non-starter. Not only that, but Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen has reportedly said that, "the attitude of Chinese buyers is going to have a big effect on cars like ours in future, too, and they are none too keen [about diesels]."

The company's head of powertrain also believes, ominously, that "the forthcoming Euro 6 clean-air regs are likely to pile some big costs on to diesels." With a diesel's big selling points being massive torque and fuel economy, it's perhaps clear why Bentley is out of the running: its engines are already torque monsters, and its buyers care more about the time they have to spend filling up instead of the price.

[Source: Autocar]