German Car Zone

Volkswagen Tiguan diesel launch delayed in the U.S.?

All-time high gas prices have made Americans intensify their searches for top-shelf fuel economy, as evidenced by 15-year-old Geo Metros selling on eBay for $7,200. Apparently even capitalistic insanity isn't enough to convince Volkswagen to bring a diesel engine Stateside in the hotly anticipated Tiguan, as the ultra-efficient 2.0L oil-burner likely won't be available for MY 2009.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that the Tiguan is selling extremely well in Europe, which negates the need to rush additional models to the US, where a weak dollar is cutting into the German automaker's profits. VW is also trying to keep the price down on the new crossover, and diesel engines add thousands to the sticker. We wouldn't be surprised if the constant delays surrounding the 2.0L TDI have anything to do with the decision, either.

If a price war can break out on eBay in an effort to buy a turquoise 49 hp deathtrap, we're more than certain that Americans are willing to shell out $30k for an efficient CUV. Without a diesel powerplant, however, the Tiguan is just one more of the many mediocre-mileage tall wagons from which to choose.

[Source: Winding Road/Autoblog]

I can't believe it's taking so long to bring diesels to NA... not just VW, but Audi and BMW seem to also be sitting on their asses.

no.2 diesel at my nearest pump is a staggering 4.75 a gallon!! If automakers are going to be serious about diesel they need the US Gov. to step in and bring some sort of mandate about to make diesel widely available and that will surely bring the price down. That's a dollar more a gallon than the national average. It's certainly not going to make a good case for the manufacturers into selling budget minded cars. It's a wicked time for auto makers selling in the US.