Will this end "Europe's love affair with diesel"? - Emissions is a political issue, performance v MPG is what most drivers care about. I doubt 2.0TDI owners are motivated by environmental factors - there's the Nissan Leaf for that. Unless the cost of diesel goes up massively, or the cost of petrol goes down massively, or there is a big diesel tax penalty, the diesel will always be cheaper to run and people will keep buying them. In america, petrol is so cheap that there is little need for a diesel (unless you like them, which TBF looking at some of the great diesel cars available - Audi BiTDI, BMW tri-turbo - I can understand); unless the UK changes comparative fuel prices to mimic that, a petrol car is still not a viable alternative for those who currently feel they need a diesel (which seems to be most of the population looking at cars on the road).

I, like most have been converted to diesel for 'everyday' driving after coming from a long list of petrol cars - IMO today, petrol is great for performance vehicles but for a 'normal' car, the diesel engine characteristic seems to suit better. Financial penalties for having diesel over a petrol would be the only thing that would make me go back. I imagine most current diesel drivers feel the same.