Audi, BMW Sell the Sizzle of Diesel, Not the Soot

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Washington DC September 4, 2009; The AIADA newsletter reported that according to Dan Neil at the Los Angeles Times, Diesel is about 25 to 40 percent more fuel-efficient than gasoline, with commensurate per-mile reductions in carbon.

The German luxury automakers – Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, and BMW – are masters of turbo-diesel technology and have long argued that it is, on balance, superior to hybrid technology.

The problem? For many Americans, diesel is simply smut. Audi and BMW are determined to change those perceptions with big, shiny ad campaigns to promote diesel.

In August, BMW sponsored the season premiere of AMC's "Mad Men" and purchased a slew of cable and print ads to promote its branded diesel technology called Efficient Dynamics. BMW also sponsored a splashy home page takeover of the New York Times' website and MSN.com with ads featuring spokesman Brian Unger.

In June, Audi staged home page takeovers of Huffingtonpost.com, Slate.com, Politico.com, and other newsy progressive sites. The ad imagery was based on a factoid derived from an estimate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: According to Audi, if one-third of U.S. drivers drove clean diesels it would mean the U.S. could send back 1.5 million barrels of imported oil a day.

Click here to read more about European automakers' push to bring diesel to the U.S. masses.