It's not often that international economics and foreign policy form the backbone of auto manufacturer's foray into the US, but Audi USA have dived right in with an innovative approach.
In Europe, car makers have known for some time if you haven't got an oil-burner you're dead in the water. More than 50% of all cars in Europe are diesel powered.
The main imperative for buying a diesel of course was the rapidly rising cost of fuel - in the UK the cost per litre of unleaded skyrocketed during 2008 to over £1.20 per litre, then dropped to just over £0.82 and has now settled to around £1.02 per litre for unleaded (9th highest in Europe).
Diesel is even more at £1.05/litre (the highest in Europe) but crucially, diesel engines are significantly more fuel efficient than petrol powerplants and have become even more so - although the gap is closing.
So for us Brits it's a question of money in our pocket - but in the USA where drivers pay just 35p for a litre of unleaded it's a more difficult job to sell diesel power. Despite many Americans' view that gas prices are now absurdly high, diesel vehicles are nevertheless seen as a dirty, smoky and no fun to drive. Developments in the 1970s during the OPEC oil crisis were quickly forgotten in the 1980s when fuel prices plummeted back down again.
Audi's tactics are interesting then - rather than focus on price at the pump and running costs, they've instead highlighted the USA's huge reliance on foreign crude oil imports - around 67% of total consumption. Domestic oil production is reducing and US reserves are running out. So the logic is by using less fuel you need to import less and then we don't have to feel so nervous all the time.
The average American is very nervous. Fear of terrorism, an over-committed military, huge unemployment, vast trade deficit and that most American of commodities, fuel, is not even home-grown, goddamit.
The campaign uses the line "Diesel is no longer a dirty word" and claims that if 1/3 of Americans drove diesel then the dependence on oil would reduce by 1.5 million barrels per day. That's about 10% of the typical daily imports.
Not huge - but a step in the right direction.
