[honestcoyote]

I can't speak to the public as a whole. But in my circles, there was a lot of interest in the TDI's and similar. With the lower sulfur diesel widely available, there wasn't a perception of VW style diesels being worse than an ordinary car. And the gas mileage made them very attractive. Almost hybrid levels of MPG without the drawbacks of hybrids. And also considered an decent substitution until Tesla, or other electrics, finally become affordable.

I personally almost made a very bad decision. The Jetta TDI was on my shortlist when I was shopping for cars in late summer. Had my GF not disliked it, I probably would have ended up with one.