To most Europeans, with climate change less and less of a doubt (2011 has been the warmest year on record), and gasoline being ever more expensive, it’s a shock that hundreds of thousands of Americans will buy a V8-powered gas-guzzler SUV this year. And most will drive them daily, regardless of the 15 mpg fuel economy (or worse), and the accordingly huge CO2 emissions.

Facing this tragedy, one of the best news from the Detroit motor show was the confirmation that 2 large SUVs, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Porsche Cayenne, will soon be available with a diesel engine. More fuel-efficient, diesels grab more than 90% of the market in this segment, in Europe. The United States ignored the diesel engine for far too long. Jeep and Porsche will try to change this, for the benefit of us all, with less greenhouse gas emissions, and maybe more important to the car’s owners, a smaller bill at the pump.

The diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee and Porsche Cayenne will be available in America in a few months.