Interesting post grober. Our electricity bill (we live in france) shows a breakdown on the method of generation and we are 85% nuclear here in north west france the remaining 15% being renewables , there are lots of wind turbines around now. However diesel makes a lot of sense if you live here as distances driven are far greater albeit the french themselves do not travel the long commuting distances so normal now in the uk. But visiting friends and family and even your nearest major centre is generally a 60km round trip. We clock up 20000 km pa just day to day shopping and visiting friends with holidays on top and no work commuting.
Also were'nt mercedes traditionally the biggest diesel engine builders? Given all the commercial traffic is diesel powered it seems it will be a difficult task to clean up air quality........have to say you hardly see any smoky diesels here now, the odd one but they are not the norm as they once were........
] This meant that the oil companies Total et al were left unhappy with a heavy oil fraction which used to be burnt in power stations 
. Thus France became de facto the manufacturer of diesel engines for Europe. When it came to deciding which technology to adopt to reduce CO2 emissions for EU-- should we go petrol/hybrid like the rest of the developed world- or should we go diesel--- I'll give you one guess as to which major EU PLAYER would be lobbying for the diesel alternative. 
And here we are!
but since the 21rst century that has certainly changed. So with the two major car producing EU nations of France and Germany lobbying for diesel and what remained of the Italian and British car industries in decline the result was probably inevitable. 
