Such environmentally friendly engines are on course for 11 percent of auto sales by 2012 from 4.8 percent this year, according to the research study by JD Power-LMC Automotive Forecasting Services.

"Higher gas (petrol) prices are acting as a catalyst for automakers and consumers to find alternatives to the traditional gasoline internal combustion engine," JD Power-LMC auto forecaster Anthony Pratt said.

"We anticipate this will lead to dramatic growth, particularly with diesels, over the next several years," he said.

Thanks to tough emissions standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, new diesel engines have to be far cleaner than the smoke-belching ones of the past. They remain far more fuel-efficient than petrol engines.

Hybrid engines that use a combination of petrol and electric power are meanwhile making great strides in the United States.

Nationwide registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose to 83,153 in 2004 -- an 81 percent increase from 2003 according to researchers at RL Polk and Co.

Pratt, however, said that automakers still need to educate consumers about hybrid technology and to assure them that diesels are indeed now cleaner and can match petrol engine performance.

Automakers will also need to bring down the prices of environmentally friendly engines, which cost well in excess of petrol ones, he said.

The bulk of the growth in hybrid models is seen in sports-utility vehicles SUVs and midsize cars, according to the study. Diesels will make inroads in pickup trucks, luxury cars and SUVs.

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