Applications

The characteristics of diesel have different advantages for different applications.

Passenger cars

Diesel engines have long been popular in bigger cars and have been used in smaller cars such as superminis like the Peugeot 205, in Europe since the 1980s. Diesel engines tend to be more economical at regular driving speeds and are much better at city speeds. Their reliability and life-span tend to be better (as detailed). Some 40% or more of all cars sold in Europe are diesel-powered where they are considered a low CO2 option. Mercedes-Benz in conjunction with Robert Bosch GmbH produced diesel-powered passenger cars starting in 1936 and very large numbers are used all over the world (often as "Grande Taxis" in the Third World). Diesel-powered passenger cars are very popular in India too, since the price of diesel fuel there is lower as compared to petrol. As a result, predominantly petrol-powered car manufacturers including the Japanese car manufacturers produce and market diesel-powered cars in India. Diesel-powered cars also dominate the Indian taxi industry.