Diesel Cars Sales Up 27% in First Half of 2012

Clean diesels and hybrids are two options for consumers who want to ease the pain at the pump, and both are continuing to see impressive growth in the U.S. marketplace with diesel sales increasing 27.5 percent in the first half of 2012, while hybrid sales have jumped 63.5 percent. 

This info, compiled by hybridcars.com and Baum and Associates, also shows a 14.9 percent increase in new car purchases across the board for the first half of 2012.

Diesel sales have increased 22 out of the last 23 months, with double-digit increases coming in 20 of those months. While this still does not touch European share of diesel sales, it shows an upward curve that does not appear to be slowing down. Upcoming fuel efficiency standards are also helping to push companies to offer more diesel options, that will help them meet the required 54.5 mpg average by 2025.

Over the next two years, 15 new clean diesel vehicles are going to be hitting the market, including some new entries from American automakers, like the Chevy Cruze diesel. Other new diesel products coming to out market include a Cadillac ATS diesel, Ford Connect diesel, VW Beetle diesel, Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel, Mazda SkyActiv-D diesel and Mercedes S-Class diesel.

Pike Research group predicts that by 2018, diesels will make up 12.4 percent of all light-duty vehicle sales here in the U.S.