It was very attractive because it was cheap. Pollution notwithstanding, modern diesels drive just as well, if not better than petrol but consume significantly l

It was very attractive because it was cheap. Pollution notwithstanding, modern diesels drive just as well, if not better than petrol but consume significantly less fuel. In Europe where fuel is comparatively more expensive than the US and where emission regulations do not hamper it, diesel dominates the market. Another aspect of it is that the carbon emissions tend to be lower than for an equivalent petrol engine, which is (part of) the reason why various tax incentives were put in place in Europe to favour diesel. They've mostly been rolled back now, but the carbon emission gap and the fuel economy remain.