More
and more manufacturers are paying attention to the increasing
demand for diesel cars. But how did it all start?
In 1893 a German inventor by the name of Rudolph Diesel published
a paper entitled "The Theory and Construction of a Rational
Heat Engine," the paper described an engine where air is
compressed by a piston to a very high pressure, causing a high
temperature. Fuel is injected and ignited by the compression temperature.
An engine was built
based on that theory the same year and, though it worked only
sporadically, Diesel patented it. Within a couple of years the
design became the standard for that type of engine and Diesel's
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.
Rudolph 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. Rumours flew about suicide, accidents
or foul play but they were all pure speculation.
Believers 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
manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, offered passenger
cars with diesel engines in the United States. The diesel car
suffered, almost crucified by serious engineering mistakes and
by cheap fuel.
However only twenty
years earlier, 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 first oil crisis
in 1973 shook America's car market. The second in 1978 scared
again, 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.
Sales of passenger
cars powered by diesels grew rapidly, peaking in 1981. Some 60%
of those diesel cars were built by General Motors. That was 10%
of GM sales that year. For other makers, diesels were a bigger
factor. They accounted for almost 85% of Peugeot sales in the
United States, 78% of Mercedes-Benz sales, 58% of Isuzu sales
and almost half of Volkswagen sales. Diesel passenger cars were
also sold by Audi, Volvo and Datsun in 1981.
Unfortunately there
were problems with GM's diesels ahead. Blocks cracked and crankshafts
wore prematurely. Critics complained that it was just a converted
petrol engine and disgruntled owners sprang up with plenty of
lawsuits being filed. Tougher emission standards later caused
problems for all diesel makers.
Worst of all, the
price of petrol began to decline and with it diesel sales. GM,
which had been so fierce in it's diesel sales, ended production
in 1985. Petrol prices fe
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