Oldsmobile produced various Diesel engines from 1978 to 1985. Sales peaked in 1981 at approximately 310,000 units, which represented 60% of the total U.S. passenger vehicle Diesel market, but this success was short lived. Sales quickly declined over the next several years as gasoline prices dropped. Additionally, the Oldsmobile Diesel had gained a reputation for unreliability and anemic performance that damaged the North American passenger Diesel market for the next 20 years.