(autoinsidernews) - The last 2006 Volkswagen Jetta diesels are on the way to U.S. dealers. But VW dealers will likely run out of diesel cars by March and it will be more than a year until VW's next diesel cars will be available. VW's current four-cylinder TDI diesel doesn't comply with strict emissions standards introduced for 2007.
The automaker's new clean diesels are not expected to reach dealers until late spring 2008. The clean diesel engine will be available on the 2008 Jetta and Rabbit, reports Trend.
Knowing that its current four-cylinder TDI diesel wouldn't meet 2007 standards, Volkswagen built extra Jetta diesels this fall, hoping the supply would last through next summer. But sales didn't fall when fuel prices eased during the fall, and they won't last as long as expected.
About 30 percent of all Jettas sold in the U.S. this year are diesel-powered, with percentages higher than usual in 2006 due to higher fuel prices.
Volkswagen's predicament leaves Mercedes-Benz, and its new E320, as the only diesel passenger car for 2007.