Short Commute and Diesel

[JCL]

Originally Posted by Fraser

Diesels certainly aren't a cure all and especially not an excuse to keep on building big, heavy and over-powered machines. We certainly do not need a 2.4-tonne Audi Q7 with a 368kW/1000Nm 6.0-litre V12 twin-turbo diesel that Audi sells here. I presume it's also in North America. However, small and mid-capacity (turbo) diesels have a place to play in the short to medium term future, as do small to medium capacity petrol engines (probably turbo and/or supercharged as well).
The problem I see is that petrol-electric hybrids are seen as cure-all that will allow people to keep buying vehicles much heavier and bigger than they need. Doesn't Toyota sell some monster V8 petrol-electric hybrid pick-up truck in NA?

Agree completely that small (er) turbo diesels have a place to play, as well as forced induction gasoline engines.

I think that some have seen hybrids as a similar cure-all, and it is the same type of thinking that some diesel purchasers have. Not all, there are certainly people who have the need for larger vehicles and pulling heavy loads.

Yes, Toyota/Lexus have large hybrids, so does GM. Add BMW to the list with the X6 that they have now put up on the websites. Not sure what the production date is for that one, but it is a product of the same thinking.