More New Zealanders opting for diesel

More New Zealanders opting for diesel

New Zealand car drivers are increasingly opting for diesel as their alternative fuel option says the Motor Trade Association (MTA). While motorists now have a wider choice of alternative fuel options than ever before, the overwhelming majority of those moving away from petrol power are increasingly likely to choose diesel.

June 2010 saw sales of new diesel powered cars exceed 20 percent of all sales for the first time. For the year to date, diesel powered cars account for almost 18 percent of new car sales, almost double the level of just three years ago.

This trend towards diesel is especially noteworthy considering the misinformation in some quarters that surrounded the reliability and quality of diesel fuel earlier this year. Ian Stronach, MTA Marketing and Communications General Manager says “Despite all the stories about so-called ‘dirty diesel’ that were around, MTA was able to disprove those and buyers have continued to recognise the many inherent advantages that diesel power provides. It’s been something of a quiet achiever in this regard.”

While fuel prices are some way from their July 2008 peak of $2.20/litre for 91 ULP and around $1.85/litre for diesel, it seems that local drivers are taking a longer term view, with diesel’s penetration of the new car market rising steadily throughout that time. Supporting this move to diesel has been the growth in availability of diesel powered variants in the passenger car and SUV line-ups of almost all manufacturers, with this availability set to grow further in the future.

The more commercially focussed ute and van market has long been dominated by diesel variants, but even here, diesel sales have continued to take up a larger proportion of sales. In 2006 diesel powered utes and vans made up 80 percent of that segment. For this year to date, that figure has grown to 90 percent.

Stronach adds “Modern diesel engines are a far cry from those of the past with significant improvements in noise reduction, fuel economy and power output helping drive their growth in popularity. But we still have a long way to go to match areas like Western Europe where diesel powered cars account for around half of all sales. Our forecasts for the New Zealand market though are for sales to continue to rise for the foreseeable future.”

ENDS

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