Diesel Powertrains Gain Ground in Germany
Diesel powered vehicles are making something of a comeback in the German market this year raising questions over the driving force behind the trend.
Because, while many European cities are set on banning oil-burners before gasoline powertrains on the grounds of air quality, European market data from JATO reveals the country saw an 8% rise in diesel sales against double digit falls in other countries such as the UK, Spain, France and Italy. Also, to put things into perspective, overall European sales of diesel powertrains in Europe have shrunk by just 5% to 34% since February 2010 to 2019 while gasolines has increased by 3%. At the same time, alternative fuel powertrain sales have risen quite feebly from 5.1% of market share to 6.5%.
It’s possibly too early to surmise that the German rebound in diesel sales may be connected to a growing awareness among some consumers and businesses that, in climate change credentials alone, diesel powered vehicles remain those with the smallest overall life-cycle carbon footprint for new vehicles produced today.
Ironically, considering the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, it is Volkswagen leading the model rankings with the Golf at 31,769 registrations, which saw an 18% decline in its gasoline registrations against an increase in its diesel registrations of 8%. Meanwhile, Toyota topped the alternative fuel registrations with two hybrid offerings, the Toyota C-HR at 8,690 registrations and the Toyota Yaris at 8,122. The ‘entry-level’ Tesla Model 3 topped the BEV charts clocking up 3,360 registrations.
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
