Voting starts at 12:01 a.m. on December 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on January 31, 2011.  The 2011 Diesel Car of the Year as well as the two runners up will be announced in late January.

Each year, the Diesel Driver’s readers will select the Diesel Car of the Year and recognize the top three vehicles offered in the U.S.  As jurors, you can vote for any one of the 12 nominees.  Criteria range from fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions to performance, handling, styling, comfort, and the overall package.

The Diesel Driver is the world’s leading publication geared towards automotive enthusiasts interested in diesel-powered passenger cars. The Diesel Driver offers in-depth road tests and reviews, diesel-oriented travel features, and features that focus on the latest in diesel technology.

Voting has ended.  The 2011 Diesel Car of the Year will be announced shortly.

The Diesel Driver recently obtained detailed sales data from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen, the four companies that currently offer diesel-powered passenger vehicles in the U.S. The data cover the first six months of 2010 and show that diesel sales continue to increase substantially. Indeed, if the trend holds, over 40% of buyers of cars for which there are diesel- and petrol-powered equivalent models will choose the diesel in 2010.

In Diesel Economics 102, we looked at 2009 figures for diesel sales versus comparable petrol-powered models as well as at select figures for 2010 models.

Given the fact that the diesel market in the United States, for all intents and purposes, was virtually non-existent a few years ago, the fact that 30% of all buyers chose a diesel variant in 2009 (versus the petrol equivalent) was noteworthy.

The new figures portend an even more interesting story for diesel in 2010.

The 2010 sales data show that two diesel models consistently outsold their petrol variant, namely the Audi A3 TDI and the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI.  While the Audi oil burner barely edged out the gasoline model, with sales of 1546 cars versus 1478, the Jetta Sportwagen TDI, with sales of 10,314, outsold the non-diesel by more than 5 to 1.

In the aggregate, for the first half of 2010, 36% of buyers overall chose a diesel over the equivalent petrol variant

Some diesel models outsold their petrol equivalents in specific months.   In April 2010, for example, the BMW 335d outsold the 335i by a ratio of 6 to 5.  In May 2010, the BMW X5 xDrive35d outsold the X5 xDrive30i by a ratio of 6 to 1. The 335d outsold the 335i again in June, this time by a ratio of 7 to 5. In January, the Volkswagen Touareg TDI outsold the petrol Touareg by a ratio of 8 to 7.

Audi was the leader in the percentage of buyers choosing a diesel over the petrol variant:  for the first six months of 2010, 46% of A3 and Q7 buyers chose the diesel, for a total of 2600 cars.

In terms of pure volume, however, Volkswagen was the clear winner: VW sold 23,294 diesel-powered passenger cars during the same period – almost three times as many as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz combined.  37% of Volkswagen buyers chose a diesel over the equivalent petrol-powered vehicle.

BMW came in second in volume, with sales of 4,682 diesel-powered cars, with 37% of BMW buyers choosing a diesel.

In fourth place was Mercedes-Benz, the company that introduced the first passenger diesel car in 1936.  Mercedes sold 1,375 diesels during the first six months of 2010; 18% of buyers chose a diesel over the petrol equivalent.

More new diesel models are on the way.  Mercedes-Benz, which currently only offers sport-utility vehicles with diesel engines, will begin to offer an E-Class diesel sedan in September.  In addition, BMW has announced it will add two more diesel models to its line-up, including a 5er Series diesel, by mid 2011.  By 2014, according to Jim O’Donnell, president of BMW of North America, “10 to 20 percent of our mix will be diesels.”

Every year, thousands of Americans take a trip to Munich or Ingolstadt with one goal in mind.  Unlike other tourists, they are not there for the beer, the Wiener Schnitzel, the museums, and art galleries.  The real reason for the trip: to pick up a new car at the factory.

Most European car makers offer European Delivery options to their customer, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo, but only Audi and BMW offer European Delivery for diesels.

European Delivery is nothing new.  For years, these car companies have offered customers the option of picking up their cars at the factory.  After delivery, and being driven on the Autobahnen, Bundesstraßen, and Landstraßen of Europe, the car is shipped by the manufacturer back to the United States.  The trip has almost become a ritual for some; indeed a third of BMW’s European Delivery customers have picked up a car at the factory in previous years.

European Delivery packages include significant discounts (published discounts are seven percent; individual dealers will frequently offer even better pricing), discounted or free airfare, meals, and the thrill of a factory tour that is the birthplace of the car being picked up.

For many, the opportunities to see where the car is manufactured and to drive it in its native habitat, the German Autobahn, are major draws.  An added benefit is that there is, of course, no need for a rental car for the trip.

EARLY DAYS

Today’s European Delivery (also called Overseas Delivery, Factory Delivery, and Tourist Delivery) programs trace their roots back to the 1950s when members of the armed forces returning from Europe brought with them a taste for smaller, sportier European cars. Many soldiers and airmen shipped their own cars to the States.

At the time, with the exception of the occasional Volkswagen Käfer (Beetle), a foreign car was truly unusual in the United States.  Indeed, the eventual popularity of European cars was largely due to Max Hoffman, the Austrian emigrant automotive entrepreneur who, starting in 1948, single-handedly created the imported car business in the United States and during his career imported and/or marketed Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jaguar, and BMW vehicles.

In the mid 1960s, with the advent of the jet age, Hoffman, then BMW’s main importer, saw an opportunity to boost both sales and mindshare for BMW by offering prospective buyers the opportunity to take their first European vacation and drive around Europe in their own car (naturally, a BMW). The car would follow them back to the U.S., giving the traveler a unique experience, saving money on the car purchase, and eliminating rental charges.

Hoffman and BMW were not alone. Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volvo, Porsche, and Volkswagen had all started to offer factory and/or European delivery to American tourists. Audi is a relative newcomer to European Delivery, having announced its first program in 2006.

Indeed, before safety and emissions regulations made it impossible to bring in a European-spec vehicle, enterprising car dealerships in Europe advertised their own European Delivery programs. Click here to continue to page 2.