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Originally Posted by mkoesel
Wow, is that confirmed? Low volume isn’t too surprising, but just 75 sales is still far less than I would have guessed (and I was pretty skeptical about the demand for this engine leading up to its release). I certainly hadn’t heard it was dead already (if indeed it is), although with such low sales, it might be the right move. From the beginning, the release of the 540d seemed out of touch with market conditions, and it felt almost uncomfortably as though they forced it just to prove they were not cheating and that their diesels could still make it through US regulatory certification.
With the iPerformance lineup soon growing to include the X3, there will be full overlap between the models that include a PHEV and the models that would (or in the past) have included a diesel. The 3er, 5er, 7er, X3, and X5 all get “e” models, and while they might not necessarily offer the peak torque of a diesel, they do offer improved fuel economy compared to a similar gasoline model. The only thing missing is a 545e Model - the 5 Series should offer the drivetrains from both its larger and smaller siblings, just as it does with the gasoline engines.
I should add here that I can still see a potential market for a diesel X3 or X5 since they might be used to tow a boat or for other activities where the torque is beneficial. But for passenger cars, the demand appears to have shifted.
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While it isn’t 100% confirmed by BMW, the 540d is no longer on the configurator. Pair that with the X3 diesel being confirmed earlier this year, to no news on it at all months later, and it seems BMW diesel is dead. I believe there was only 75 produced, it was either on bimmerpost or bimmerfest someone posted about buying the last produced 540d and their dealer told them they only made 75.
Electric/Plug ins are the future, but i really liked the diesels for their torque and their engines. Unlike the plug ins they still use 3liter I6s which are much better than 2L 4cylinders.