Why would that be? Modern diesel pickups have engines with more-than-adequate horsepower, and ludicrous amounts of torque.
And modern turbodiesel cars make gasoline-powered cars almost obsolete. The current Mercedes E320 CDI I-6 already does 0-60 in 6.7 seconds or so, and the forthcoming V-6 will be even faster. In Europe, automakers are actually beginning to introduce diesel sport models.
And then there's this.
Sure, the old diesels were kinda slow...but that was 20 years ago! Although, at the time, I was getting close to the 50 mpg with a Nissan diesel that everyone is so excited about now.
Europe isn't right about much, but they're right about their fondness for diesels. Just about half the cars sold there currently are oilburners.
And Mercedes is thinking of introducing a diesel hybrid. C&D described this as the "worst" of all possible worlds. The complexity of hybrids mated to an engine that won't pass emission standards in a couple of years.
I've driven pickups with diesels. They are noisy, knock and smell. I am around those Dodge diesels all the time and the black particulates spew out the tailpipes and make a lot of racket.
Diesels work fine in over the road trucks. But in cars, I don't see them as anything other than a dead end.