Mercedes expects diesels to account for 10-percent of US market

Looks like Mercedes-Benz is expecting diesels to make a huge comeback in the United States over the next few years. M-B is apparently projecting that diesels will account for a whopping 10 percent of U.S. sales by 2010, up from just 3 percent last year. With the new BLUETEC-nology helping the German automakers meet stricter Bin 5 clean air standards, and gas prices continuing to hover near the $3/gallon level, it's likely diesels will become more attractive to buyers, especially in the light- and heavy-duty truck segment where the mileage and torque gains seem huge compared to gas-engined options.

New low-sulfur diesel fuel is finally becoming more widely available in States too, so look for diesels to start popping up everywhere soon. Mercedes in particular has shown off the possibilities of diesel in its E320 and will start selling diesels this fall starting in the ML320 and then the GL320 and probably the R320, as well. And Mercedes isn't the only company expecting big diesel gains. J.D. Power's Global Outlook for Diesel predicts North American diesel sales to account for 15 percent of new vehicle sales by 2015.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req]