BMW has been selling diesel engined cars in the European market for twenty-three years, while the US market has only been getting gas engines (except for the brief availability of a 5-series diesel in the mid-1980s). Two-thirds of their sales in Europe now are diesels and in 2008 they will be coming here. BMW diesels offered in the US market will be fifty-state legal, conforming to all the new Bin5 requirements. The new diesels will continue to maintain BMW's performance reputation, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption. Although BMW has recently said they are not going to be using the BlueTec brand-name for their diesels, it's still expected they will be using this technology. For now they're not revealing which models will get diesel options, but pretty much every BMW has a diesel available in Europe. Click Read to see the full BMW press release.

[Source: BMW]

If you've been bemoaning the fact that you can't drive any of the nice BMW European diesels here in North America, listen up. The time for your whining has ended (at least for a while). Winding Road spoke with "an honest-to-goodness German big-wig at BMW" and got the scoop on how diesel bimmers will be here by late 2008. The official news will come at the L.A. auto show later this month, where BMW will announce its North American diesel strategy, led by the low-emission 535d.

Winding Road claims the strategy is to bring over all the six-cylinder diesels, starting with the 5-series. The real difficulty lies in getting the diesels ready for the stricter diesel emissions laws that kick in in 2009. Looks like Mercedes' push to get their BlueTec 320s onto showroom floors this year is having an effect. Also, Audi will announce at the NAIAS in January that Audi vehicles with VW's TDI diesel engines in them should be here by 2008. All right, feel free to get back to your bemoaning now.

[Source: Winding Road via our friends at Autoblog]

Diesel vehicles have had a hard time in America. Their market share is always far below standard ICEs, and recently automakers have had to eliminate models to deal with new and stricter emissions laws. With Mercedes' recent announcement that the E320 Bluetec would be compliant with emission laws in 45 states and not 50 as originally promised, it can be expected that diesel advocates see even darker times ahead. That's not how David at Auto Future sees it. In his post on the future of diesel in America, he says predicts that a diesel boom will happen for two reasons. First, luxury manufacturers (like BMW and Mercedes) are expanding their diesel technologies (like a newly-developed NOx adsorber). Second, Honda, one of the most mainstream of auto companies, has also got new diesel technology with their electric-powered plasma reactor. David sees Chrysler and Ford doing all right in the future diesel market, but GM suffering.

Related:

• Mercedes E320 Bluetec arrives as 45-State Vehicle

[Source: Auto Future]