Study Says More Hybrids and Diesels on the Way

Would a Hybrid Enhanced Diesel be the Ultimate Answer Next to Fuel Cells?

Have you ever considered buying a hybrid? Or what about a diesel powered vehicle. If you're a fleet manager and regularly purchase

Have you ever considered buying a hybrid? If you have, you're in luck, as many more are on the way. (Photo: Nissan Canada)

heavy-duty pickup trucks for your firm then going with the initially more expensive diesel option is often a good idea, saving money in the long run and offering better service all-round, but what about for the passenger car that gets you back and forth to the office?

Forty percent of Volkswagen's new car volume in Canada includes a diesel engine under the hood, and Mercedes-Benz has long offered the latest diesel technology in its lineup of passenger cars. Jeep's compact Liberty is the first consumer-oriented domestic SUV to offer diesel power, other than the industrial-sized Ford Excursion.

Ford was the first automaker to offer a hybrid electric powertrain in a sport utility with its Escape Hybrid, while Lexus became the first to offer such a system in the luxury SUV segment. Toyota will follow up with a hybrid version of its seven-occupant Highlander while GM and Chrysler Group will enter the HEV market with hybrid versions of their Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon clones and Dodge Durango respectively. And it's likely a turbo diesel variant of the

Ford was the first automaker to offer a hybrid electric powertrain in a sport utility with its Escape Hybrid. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

Durango will show up before that, due to the success Chrysler Group is experiencing with its new Liberty CDI.

Do you sense a trend happening here? According to recent reports, we're not the only ones prognosticating an influx of new hybrid- and diesel-powered alternatives in the North American automotive market. J. D. Powers and Associates expect vehicles powered by diesel and/or hybrid drivetrains to more than double over the next seven years, combining for 11 percent of the U.S. market by 2012, up from today's 4.8 percent market share. Canada's pie chart should show an even larger slice dedicated to alternative power sources if current trends continue.