BERLIN – Six German automotive companies, including the passenger car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen, and the supplier Bosch, are starting their first-ever joint information campaign for "clean diesels" in the U.S.
Under the slogan "Clean Diesel. Clearly Better," the group will publicize the advantages of modern diesel passenger car technology over gasoline engines in terms of cleanliness, consumption and performance. The "Clean Diesel. Clearly Better." campaign, developed jointly by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and VDA member companies, includes both an online and offline platform, including the website clearlybetterdiesel.org.
The goal is to create a multi-brand information platform for clean diesels among the U.S. population and to make the advantages of this technology better known using first-hand information. Even today, the market share of diesels among all newly registered light vehicles in the U.S. is still quite low – 2.6 percent compared with a diesel share of 55 percent in Western Europe. Yet sales of diesel passenger cars by German manufacturers – who take 100 percent of the market in diesel cars in the U.S. – have more than doubled over the past three years. In the first nine months of the current year, roughly 69,600 diesel cars were sold in the U.S., whereas in 2009, the figure was only 30,600. This represents a rise of 127 percent.
Participating companies will present current models of diesel cars with the "Clean Diesel. Clearly Better." logo. To qualify, these clean diesel vehicles must comply with the very strict environmental standards in all 50 U.S. states. On average, their fuel efficiency is 18 percent higher than corresponding models with gasoline engines.
The companies participating in the campaign also will apply the campaign logo as a seal of quality in the U.S. market in advertisements, on banners, in TV spots, product brochures and in their showrooms. The campaign will make its mark at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), January 2013 in Detroit.
