Recently, leading up to the 2009 Truck of the Year testing, I blogged about the upcoming half-ton diesels, and what a significant development I believed they would be in the light-truck market.
Motor Trend Senior Online Editor Mike Floyd commented that the price difference between diesel and unleaded, combined with the price premium for the diesel powertrain option itself, might crash the half-ton diesel party before it even started.
However, I have noticed an unusual anomaly among some stations in Orange County, California. Some stations are actually selling diesel for less than regular unleaded!
The interesting thing is, is that it's not even necessarily a universal trend in the region. Many stations are still selling diesel at a premium over unleaded. It seems most often, the stations selling the cheap diesel are Shell stations.
Granted, in an economic climate where we've seen a barrel of oil go from close to $150, that have now dropped down to just under $70, it's anyone's guess as to where fuel prices are going to stabilize, but for those that thought the high cost-per-gallon of diesel were going to kill off it's popularity, this is a glimmer of good news.
But considering the volatility of the oil markets, there's just as good a chance that I'll come back to the same station a week or month later and see diesel for a premium over unleaded once again.
But those of us that are fans of modern diesels' torque, efficiency, and towing capacity, hopefully, this trend will continue through 2009 and 2010, long enough for the new half-ton diesels to gain some traction in the market.