TeamDiesel and gasoline cars have ruled the motoring industry for around 150 long years. The European governments also encouraged buyers to chose deiseal-powered cars by introducing deiseal-friendly policies.
However, the environmental hazards and scandals associated with this industry during the past years have led to a deiseal car sales down in Europe.
Diesel Cars Sales Down in Europe
A limited ban has been implemented by Paris, Madrid, and Hamburg. The government is encouraging people to desert their diesel cars.
The decline in sales occurred due to concerns over air pollution. An official disclosed that Volkswagen rigs emission tests to make diesel motors look cleaner than they are.
This created an uproar among the public in the year 2015 and damaged the reputation of these cars immensely..
The diesel-powered vehicles were restricted in Madrid last December. Paris also banned motors older than 13 years from visiting the city center during weekdays.
Due to the changing trends, people are moving on to electric vehicles or hybrids
Future of Diesel Cars in Europe
The future of diesel cars looks grim across Europe and all over the world. 24 European cities have already announced that they will ban diesel in the next decade.
The amount of taxes on diesel vehicles has increased immensely. This makes it a less budget-friendly option for people.
Response of Car Manufacturers
The diesel car manufactures are adapting to the latest technologies to make their cars greener and environment friendly. The researchers are working on innovative methods to reduce the emission of harmful gases.
One of the methods introduced is selective catalytic reduction. The exhaust fumes are run through a chamber and during this time the harmful waste is broken down.
The oxygen, nitrogen, and water are separated through chemical reduction. But this method is very expensive making it inadequate for low-budget vehicles.
Some manufactures have announced that they will be ending the production of diesel cars completely shortly.
The market share of the deiseal industry dropped a massive amount of 32 % during the year 2018.
Porsche, a well-known luxury car manufacturer announced that they will be ending diesel vehicle production in early 2018. They announced that their business will focus on petrol. plug-in hybrid and electric models in the future.
Nissan has also announced to phase out diesel passenger motors in Europe. They have also vowed to focus on cars powered by environment-friendly fuels.
Effects of Diesel Decline on Fleets
The penetration of diesel passenger vehicles on the fleet market has dropped to around 70 percent across Europe.
Timeline for Diesel Car Industry
The timeline for important events which led to a sales down in diesel vehicles is mentioned as following:
Kyoto Protocol in 1997
An agreement was signed by the UK government for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 12.5 percent lower than that of 1990.
The timeline for this milestone was set to 2012. A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions was also recommended.
Tax Reform in 2001
The excise duty rates were revised and the new rates favored diesel vehicles and helped in improving their sales. The average carbon dioxide emissions also deteriorated.
Diesel Sales Peak in 2012
The sales of diesel vehicles increased a whopping amount of 51% in 10 years after the implementation of the new tax reforms.
VW Emissions Scandal in 2015
It was the biggest scandal to hit this sector in a long time. The reputation of diesel cars was damaged and more than 11 million cars were recalled by the buyers.
Diesel Backlash in 2018
The backlash was received all across Europe. Several cities in Germany won the right to ban diesel-based vehicles. The diesel charging zones are called off by some of the councils in the UK as well.
Final Thoughts
The trends in the motoring section are changing and car manufacturers are working on environment-friendly options.
