DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche has said that he believes that diesel-powered vehicles will gain wider acceptance in the key US market, to the benefit of German carmakers, according to remarks reportedly made at an industry conference.

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“I am pretty sure that in five to 10 years the percentage of diesel-powered vehicles in private use will be higher than that of hybrids,” he said, according to Reuters.


“I am very optimistic that we can unleash a new trend there,” he reportedly added, citing the power and fuel efficiency that diesels bring.


Reuters said that Zetsche cited estimates that by having 30% of the vehicle fleet powered by diesels, the US could reduce fuel consumption enough to be able to cut oil imports by the equivalent of what it buys from Saudi Arabia.


President George Bush in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Jan. 31, said the United States was “addicted to oil” from the Middle East and must find alternative energy sources.

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