> The love for diesel engines in many European countries was always confusing to me.

That's a thing of the past as as early as in 2023 diesels were already a smaller percentage of new cars than non-hybrid EVs:

https://www.acea.auto/figure/fuel-types-of-new-passenger-car...

To add to what others said: diesels always had a reputation of reliability. The cast-iron TDI 1.9 is legendary but even Italian cars fitted with the JTD line would just work and not require maintenance. I recall making light of a friend who was driving an Alfa Romeo until he mentioned that actually it's been more reliable than anything else he's driven - at least in terms of powertrain issues.