Remaking Diesel's Image a Lap at a Time

by Kevin Cameron New York Times, 27 Mar 2006 European roads are bustling with modern diesel cars that do not spew stinky clouds of black smoke from their tailpipes or announce their presence with a truck-stop clatter from under the hood. But with few exceptions, American drivers cannot buy these refined models. Not that it matters. Buyers in the United States do not clamor for these thrifty cars anyway, largely because the diesels they have known were slow, quirky and not worth the fuss so long as gasoline was cheap. But diesels are fast becoming much cooler, and much faster. Read more