This BBC Auto journalist asks the all important question:

Why don't Americans buy Diesels?
Speaking from my own experience, I was nearly 2 weeks into my trip to France last month before I realized that my host's car was driven by a nifty little diesel engine.
It was quiet, peppy, great on fuel, and did not rattle or smell.
The A Class Mercedes, not currently available in the US, was the near perfect small car - imagine a Honda Fit with diesel power.
Immediately I was angry that so much focus has been put on electric cars in the U.S., which in my opinion, merely shifts the ecological damage further upstream - usually to coal powered electricity producers.  With extra special addition of very large, very expensive batteries.
I've read that replacement batteries for the Toyota Prius run upwards of $10,000.
That seems just dumb when the fuel efficient and reliable motors are already available without making any significant changes.
You'd just have to learn to grab the green colored hose at the gas station that mark diesel fuel pumps.

More from the BBC
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20130109-why-do-americans-not-buy-diesels

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Why do Americans not drive diesels?

By Richard Aucock

A paragon of the breed: Volkswagen's 2-litre TDI engine, as seen in the Passat midsize sedan. (Volkswagen Group)

In Europe, if a motorist wants to drive a small car that feels like a big one, there is a diesel for every occasion.

A 1.6-litre turbodiesel delivers the torque surge of a much larger gasoline engine, yet with the fuel efficiency of a much smaller one. In the UK, diesel sales account for more than half of all cars sold, and even with a stat like that, Britain lags the rest of Europe, which has long preferred diesel to gas.
Diesel used to be a dirty fuel and a dirty word, but recent technologies have addressed both problems, which is why the world outside the United States thinks of the choice between gasoline and diesel as a foregone conclusion. — Richard Aucock

So why would more Americans not drive diesels? From the European perspective, it would suit the driving style of the States perfectly, with lots of relaxed muscle available at low rpms to cruise vast interstate networks that are the envy of the world. Better mileage means fewer fill-ups, and the on-paper improvements in fuel economy would, overnight, take the US fleet one massive step toward President Obama’s targeted 54.5 mpg national average by 2025. Simply stated, diesel should “work” in the US.

“But what do Britons know about our market?” an American might opine. Quite a lot. In significant ways, the diesel market in the US is similar to that of the UK three decades ago.

In the UK of the 1980s, diesel drivers were outcasts. They were required to fill up around the back of the station, over by the truckers, to be looked upon by gasoline burners with a mixture of pity and smugness. And that presumed diesel drivers could even find somewhere to fill up, as not every filling station bothered to stock their fuel.

This sheer lack of availability led to great variability in pricing. As the only filling-station proprietor in 25 miles to stock diesel, Mr. Smith could subsequently charge more or less whatever he wanted. A survey ofdiesel prices in the US illustrates a similarly maddening snapshot of how scarcity can produce wide price fluctuations, with pump prices varying by up to 50 cents a gallon. But with more diesel purchasers, the laws of the marketplace would kick in, bringing prices into greater alignment.

Given the need for low-sulphur refining, diesel would not necessarily become cheaper than premium in the US. It is pricier on the other side of the Pond, too, but although Europeans gripe about it, they still know the savings add up. Diesel generally returns 30% better mileage than gas, and in the dominion of $8 gallons, this is no small advantage.

Mind you, there are two distinct factors working in favour of Europeans’ wallets: fuel with a higher cetane rating, which makes it easier to control NOx emissions, and EU emissions standards that are generally comparable to the US’s Tier 2 standards in all areas apart from, yes, NOx. Even our EU 6 standards, due in 2015, do not quite match the States’ strict limits on smog- and acid rain-causing emissions.

Relative to a gasoline-burning engine, it is more difficult to control NOx in a diesel, which is why, to meet those comparatively stricter emissions limits, diesels in the US are required to use expensive, onboard after-treatment systems, which decrease the amount of particulate matter that leaves the tailpipe. Diesel engines are already more expensive to develop than gasoline units, given their turbos and complex injection systems. After-treatment systems make them even pricier.

Here’s the thing: It’s worth it. Diesel used to be a dirty fuel and a dirty word, but recent technologies have addressed both problems, which is why the world outside the United States thinks of the choice between gasoline and diesel as a foregone conclusion. And even with the additional costs, passed on to the consumer, of emissions compliance equipment, the sensory pleasures of a diesel-powered vehicle are difficult to deny.

It is high time, America, to give diesels a better look.

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Another diesel article, this one from The Chicago Tribune:

2014: The year of the diesel?
Automakers introduce more 2014 diesel models for American passenger vehicles.

2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel gets a 46 mpg average on the highway, highest for a non-electrified car in the U.S. (Cars.com photo)‹›Aug. 14, 2013, 2:22 p.m.

By Robert Duffer, Chicago Tribune

Diesel cars continue making inroads in the North American market. No longer just for trucks or European cars, diesel engines are cleaner and more fuel efficient than its gas-powered cousins.

“High mileage, fuel efficiency and low emissions are the trademark of new clean diesel vehicles,” says Allen Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum taking place in Atlanta this week.

Diesels 2.0 are still a bit noisier than gas engines, but nothing like the knock-and-chug that accompanied the stream of black exhaust from past diesel generations. You’ll notice the clean-and-green emphasis on new diesel models.

GM made news with the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, which averages 46 mpg on the highway, highest of all non-electrified vehicles sold in the U.S. Jeep is introducing the 2014 Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel this year as well. The 3.0-liter V6 engine with 240 horsepower gets up to 30 mpg highway, according to Jeep. The gas-powered Cherokee gets 24 mpg on the highway.

It isn’t just American automakers that are getting diesel praise this year. The 2014 Volkswagen Passat TDI, driven by hypermiling kings Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger, averaged 77.99 mpg on a continental US tour this summer. It broke the Guinness World Record for highest fuel economy by a non-hybrid driven across the United States. Normal drivers can expect to average 35 mpg combined with the TDI, an improvement of 7 mpg over the gas-powered Passat.

Diesel engines can deliver up to 40 percent better fuel economy than gasoline, says the Diesel Forum.

Cars with diesel-powered engines initially cost about $2,000 more than gasoline counterparts,wrote Jill Ciminillo, auto reviewer for the Chicago Tribune. Depending on the season, diesel fuel can cost about 15 cents more per gallon than gasoline.

Currently, Audi, GM, BMW, Daimler, Mazda and Volkswagen are considering diesel as a new option for passenger vehicles or to expand current offerings, according to Diesel Technology Forum, a nonprofit “education organization” comprised of companies with diesel interests. It anticipates six new diesel passenger vehicles for 2014, with another half-dozen anticipated. There were 15 diesel introductions in 2013, largely from German-based automakers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and its Audi subsidiary.