The Diesel Fiasco

In 1893, German inventor Rudolph Diesel published a paper entitled "The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine," which described an engine in which air is compressed by a piston to a very high pressure, causing a high temperature. Fuel is then injected and ignited by the compression temperature.

Diesel built his first engine based on that theory the same year and, though it worked only sporadically, he patented it. Within a few years, Diesel's design became the standard of the world for that type of engine and his name was attached to it.

Diesel thought the United States was the greatest potential market for his engine and he was almost right. The first diesel built in the United States was made in 1898 by Busch-Zulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Co. President was Adolphus Busch, of Budweiser brewing fame, who had purchased North American manufacturing rights.

Diesel died under mysterious circumstances in 1913, vanishing during an overnight crossing of the English Channel on the mail steamer Dresden from Antwerp to Harwich. It might have been suicide (though there was no evidence) or an accident (again, no evidence) or assassination (pure speculation.) Proponents of the assassination theory point out that shortly after Diesel's death, a diesel-powered German submarine fleet became the scourge of the seas. Diesel had been friendly to France, Britain and the United States.

In 1997, only two makers, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, offer passenger cars with diesel engines in the United States. The diesel car is dead in this country, killed by a serious engineering mistake and by cheap gasoline. But there have been a lot of papers on the subject in recent years at Society of Automotive Engineers gatherings. Why? There has been a lot of talk about production and marketing of electric cars to meet clean-air standards. But a very real challenge looming is meeting higher CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards of 40 miles per gallon and higher. It will require small diesels, of the sort several Japanese makers already build and market in Japan. These diesels are not fantasy, they are an old and proven technology. And their fuel economy is unquestioned.

Twenty years ago, the passenger car diesel engine was the darling of the industry, popular both in luxury cars and in small econoboxes. The clatter of the diesel was heard beneath the hood of Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac, Volvo and Peugeot, Volkswagen Rabbit and Chevrolet Chevette. The reason: OPEC.

The first oil crisis in 1973 shook us. The second in 1978 scared us, scared us so bad that car buyers were willing to ignore the diesel's noise, fumes, smell and iffy cold-weather starting to get the benefit of its good fuel economy. (Most of these problems with the diesel have since been solved.)

Sales of passenger cars powered by diesels grew rapidly, peaking in 1981 at 520,788. Some 60 percent of those diesel cars were built by General Motors. That was 10 percent of GM sales that year. For other makers, diesels were a bigger factor. They accounted for almost 85 percent of Peugeot sales in the United States, 78 percent of Mercedes-Benz sales, 58 percent of Isuzu sales and almost half of Volkswagen sales. Diesel passenger cars were also sold by Audi, Volvo and Datsun in 1981.

Then there were problems with GM's diesels. Blocks cracked and crankshafts wore prematurely. Critics complained that it was just a converted gasoline engine and clubs of disgruntled owners sprang up and lawsuits were filed. Tougher emission standards caused problems for all diesel makers.

But worst of all, the price of gasoline began to decline. So did diesel sales. GM, which had been so bullish on diesels, ended production in 1985. Gasoline prices fell to the lowest levels ever, in terms of real dollars.

Now, the only diesel-powered passenger cars available in the United States are the Mercedes-Benz (less than 6 percent of that maker's sales) and Volkswagen (almost 5 percent of its sales). But diesel engines are available in a number of pickup trucks, which are often used in place of cars. And, of course, they are common in heavy trucks.

The diesel is an internal combustion engine, as is the gasoline, but with a difference. For one thing, the diesel has no spark plugs but relies on high compression (typically about 22:1, compared with 8:1 or 9:1 for most gasoline engines) for ignition. Diesels are heavier, more fuel efficient and longer-lasting (usually), which has made them popular in heavy truck applications.

The diesel may have become trendy in the '70s, but it was far from new. Mercedes-Benz began building diesel automobiles in the '30s, long-lasting and dependable units, many of which were still in taxicab service in Germany a quarter of a century later. In 1975, only Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Opel sold diesel cars in the United States. GM got into the diesel market in 1977 and sold one million of them from 1977 to 1981 as buyers looked for a hedge against rising fuel prices.

Market projections called for sales by GM alone of one million diesels a year, even though the engines added $800 to $1,000 to the price of a car. But these projections were based on the assumption that gasoline would cost $2 or $3 a gallon by 1990.

Diesels have their following among collectors, as do all automotive approaches which have merit, but there are bargains to be had because of the low esteem in which diesel automobiles are held by the general public.

No American maker puts diesels in passenger cars now, although diesels are available in some light truck models, often purchased as substitutes for cars. The truck sales manager in a large-volume dealership near Flint said cross-over buyers (car owners who trade for light trucks) do not usually like diesels.

"They're popular only with people who like the smell of diesel fumes. That's about it."