BMW completes 30 years of diesel engines

It has now been 30 years since BMW introduced diesel engines for its cars. While this might not seem like such an oddity now (diesel engined cars) given that current technology is quite advanced from 30 years ago, the move to introduce a diesel sedan in a place like Germany in 1983 was one that raised many eyebrows but thanks to their persistence, ultimately started a revolution.  

 The first vehicle in this line up was 1983 524td and as the nomenclatures goes, it was fitted turbocharged 2.4-litre oil burner that produced 116PS and 210Nm of torque. When launched, it became the fastest diesel in the world, having a top speed of 180kmph and does 0-100 in just 12 seconds.

 However, this car was launched at the peak of the global oil crisis which began in 1979 and was able to prove its mettle among its equivalent petrol sedans by returning an average of 14-kmpl or 7.1-litres for every 100 kilometres, making it fast yet affordable to own. 

Today the German automaker has diesel engines across its entire line up and sells them in almost every market globally.