You would think new car buyers would be hesitant to go diesel, which is approaching $5 a gallon, but Volkswagen dealers are saying that customers are rushing in to grab the first batch of the new 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI . The cars don’t go on sale until late August, but many dealers say that they already have enough orders for their 2008 allocation.

Besides an attractive price tag of $22,640 and a better fuel-economy, dealers say that customers are attracted to the reliability of a diesel and the type of performance you can’t get from hybrids like the Prius.

Volkswagen is planning on selling 15,000 units of the Jetta TDI in its first year. Next year it plans on taking the volume above 30,000 units.

According to the EPA, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI gets a fuel-economy of 29/40mpg (city/highway).

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)