[jmrm]

I think this could be different depending of the country. In Spain the most popular engines in premium cars in the 90s were the 2.0L and the 2.5L turbo Diesel, and lots of compacts and mid-sized sedans, specially at the late 90s, were sold with 1.8L to 2.2L engines (Peugeot 205, Citroën Xsara, Renault Clio, Opel Corsa).

At the early 2000s, about 90% of the cars sold were Diesel IIRC. We always care a lot in terms of economy where buying a car, and with a Diesel oil cheaper than gas, and Diesel cars that had more mileage than petrol ones, there's the reason.