Audi Diesel Dominance

In a flourish of symbolism, an armada of white Audi luxury sport sedans and SUVs with the letters TDI emblazoned on their lower front door panels, descended on Washington DC recently.

This great white fleet was the driving stock for a clean diesel mileage rally pairing automotive journalists with techies and wonks from university and private energy policy think-tanks. In a pre-rally symposium, it became clear that though the host automaker AUDI makes a compelling case for winning the US over as a major Clean Diesel passenger car market — the experts feel the long-term future of mass vehicle propulsion is still up for grabs.

Today’s face-off between hybrid and electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell, compressed natural gas and the odd chemistry set whiz who wants to run cars on water, is a transitional period and a prelude to newer technologies.

Mostly due to 100 years of fuel infrastructure — the experts agree that for the near future — the breakthrough efficiency, ebullient power and 50 state legal ultra low emissions advantages of diesels like the TDI series offered by AUDI, are a very good bet in a crowded field.