BMW has announced that sales of its diesel-engined models are rising at an rapid rate, with the 4055 diesel sales for this year representing a 65 percent increase over the same period last year. Diesels now comprise 30.6 percent of all new BMWs sold in Australia, and, according to BMW, the rise in popularity of the oil-burning powerplants is not likely to stop there.

“Given that some diesel models will now be subject to less tax, due to the change in the Luxury Car Tax, diesel sales will continue their rise in the short to medium term,” said Guenther Seemann, Managing Director of BMW Group Australia.

Seeman was also optimistic that Australia’s increasing uptake of diesel passenger cars would spur the German manufacturer on to expanding the range of diesel models, which currently comprises nine variants spread across the Series 1, 3, 5, X3, X5 and X6 lines.

“The newly unveiled six-cylinder BMW 330d, boasting 180kW and 520 Newton metres of torque, yet consuming 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres is now under serious consideration for Australia,”

Clearly diesel engines are no longer the preserve of clattering delivery-vehicles and load-lugging trucks, and their future as a viable alternative powerplant in the Australian automotive landscape is unquestionably secured. Only one question remains: will engines running on the ‘black stuff’ ever to endear themselves to Aussie motorists as a genuine performance powerplant? We may have to wait until the bigwigs in Munich decide to push out a M-badged diesel to find out.