18/11/2008 05:47. Even though many of them are now working on hybrids, European automakers’ response to gasoline-electric vehicles—long championed by Japanese companies—has been to first scoff and then to point to their robust lineups of fuel-efficient diesel powertrains. Of course, diesels represent about 50 percent of the market in Europe, but they have never been offered widely in America. Fluctuating fuel prices are slowly beginning to change that, and although Euro diesels recently launched in the States have been installed in sedans and SUVs , small oil burners make sense, too. After all, if a premium sedan with the economy of a compact is impressive, let’s see what happens when you drop a diesel into a compact.

The ritzy A3 compact hatchback , based on the VW Golf/Rabbit... // Car and Driver