New 3.0L diesel pickups coming from the U.S.

I guess cars are no different to white and electrical goods........you don’t want them to last to long as you don’t make money if the consumer does not keep buying.

I recently heard that Alvey have stopped production of their famous centre pin reels until further notice as they don’t wear out or break and they have a stock pile of them in the factory waiting to be sold

yeah right. So far on our big lap, rangers by far outnumber any other single ute model towing, for the first time ever that I've noticed. I've seen more than one with 300k+ on the clock. The PX has been around since 2012.

The simple fact remains that diesels still have superior fuel economy and torque - despite the claims that diesels are dead in the water.

The biggest single governing factor is whether diesels can continue to remain in front of ever-increasing emissions laws. At this stage, it appears they can.

The article below delves into the future of light diesels, and how they can still remain competitive as the cost of emission control devices comes down - and the cost of building them decreases, as engine sizes are reduced, due to improved engineering efficiencies.

There's a declining market for diesels in small cars, due to the engine cost - but the fitment of diesels to small cars was always an "iffy" proposition, anyway.
But the manufacturers have realised that there's still a solid market for diesels in the 4WD, pickup, SUV, and upper-level luxury vehicles. This diesel market is not going to decline any time soon.

The advent of 48V electrics is another area where diesel efficiency is going to increase.
48V electrics stand to take up a lot of accessory loads that will result in more engine power going to the road - and also be the commencement of partial hybrid setups where regenerative braking will be included as part of the power management.

The Europeans are still pushing diesels, possibly for two reasons - one, the diesel light vehicle population in Europe is around 30% of the vehicles on the road - and the Europeans use a lot of vegetable oils for fuels (biofuels), thus reducing their total fuel import bill cost, and reducing their reliance on imported diesel.

Also, diesel is cheaper in Europe, whereas it's the same cost or higher in America. As a result, diesels still only make up 1% of the diesel light vehicle population in the U.S.
No doubt that's a percentage the manufacturers are seeking to increase.

Diesel Technology developments

Cheers, Ron.

Ron, Biodiesel is more expensive then diesel derived from petroleum.
If it was cheaper you wouldn't need to mandate it's use, as is the case with all biofuel all over the world. Aussie farmers would be running their tractors from Canola Oil if it was cheaper
Mark

Mark, Most Biodiesel in Australia is blended with Tallow & not Canola Oil. Tallow is much cheaper than Canola Oil.

Macca.

Mark, the biodiesel argument always rages on about its efficiency and expense.
In Europe, there is an EU-Union mandated target set for a 10% level of biodiesel for 2020.

The EU is not looking at the simple bowser cost of straight diesel vs biodiesel - they are looking at the benefits of cleaner air from biodiesel, and increased employment and income within the EU countries, as agricultural production is ramped up.

The EU has seen what happened to Brazil, which was staggering under a monstrous trade deficit and national debt, largely due to massive oil imports.
Within a few years of mandating ethanol biofuels, supplied by sugarcane grown within Brazil, the country paid off all its outstanding national debt.

Their fuel import bill went to a much lower sustainable figure in this time frame.
Ethanol currently supplies 17% of Brazils fuels at present - but this can vary due to market pressures and crop yields.
Of course, there was also huge pressure to ramp up Brazils oil exploration and production in the same time frame - which largely succeeded.

Rapeseed oil comprises 66% of the current vegetable oil supply used in EU bio diesel.
Rapeseed is easily grown in many EU countries, it can be grown on waste land, and it is used as a break crop to reduce diseases in other crops.

In addition, Rapeseed production efficiency is increasing with improved varieties and improved farming techniques.

There is definitely a constant see-saw between biofuels and petroleum fuels, simply because of the huge number of variables affecting pricing, markets, and demand.
Essentially, when petroleum fuels rise in price due to price fixing and manipulation (as is happening now with OPEC), then biofuels make inroads into the fuel market.
Accordingly, when oil prices slump, biofuels rapidly lose ground due to cost.

It is Govts that set the market for biofuels - via mandated targets, taxation regimes, and other economic measures.
I personally believe biofuels need to be encouraged to ensure competition in the energy marketplace and to reduce our reliance on oil imports.

One thing's for sure - biofuels won't be going away anytime soon, and the EU is driving that section of transport fuel production along, at a steady pace.

Cheers, Ron.

Ron
We have had this discussion before.
Please try to gain more independent information than what the Biofuel industry produces, surely not even they claim it erased the Brazilian National debt.
I agree the Biofuel industry does worry the Petroleum produced and Industry.
You have stated above that it has to be mandated, it is not economic.
My employer has had to mothball their (ethanol) production unit in the UK which utlised over 1Million tonnes of grain pa due to lack of UK mandate
It is a taxpayer subsidy, inclusing to many Australian canola farmers for whom the EU Biofuel industry is their largest market .
Mark