After the emissions scandal, better known as Dieselgate, the state of grace of Diesel engines is definitely over.
In Europe, the main world market for this type of engine in light cars, the Diesel share has not stopped falling — from values around 50% for many years until the end of 2016, it began to fall and has never stopped, representing now roughly 36%.
And it promises not to stop there, with the growing advertisements by manufacturers that either dispense with Diesel in some models, or abandon - immediately or in a few years - diesel engines altogether.
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Porsche recently affirmed the definitive abandonment of Diesels. The success of its hybrid models allows it, managing to face the emission limits to be met with more confidence. Truth be told, it was no longer possible to buy diesel engines at Porsche since practically the beginning of the year, justified by the need to adapt the engines to the most demanding WLTP test protocol.
PSA suspends Diesel development
With the Paris Motor Show underway, we now learn that the French group PSA, in statements to Autocar, has announced not its immediate abandonment, but the suspension in the development of Diesel technology — it is the group where Peugeot, one of the main players, is located. in this type of engine.
Despite the relatively recent release of 1.5 BlueHDI, capable of meeting the most demanding emission standards of the next few years, it may not know more evolutions to meet future requirements.
Confirmation of the news comes from the Groupe PSA's own product director, Laurent Blanchet: “We have decided not to develop any further evolutions in Diesel technology, because we want to see what will happen.”
But it is the statements by Jean-Phillipe Imparato, CEO of Peugeot, that put the finger to the wound, saying that they made “a mistake in forcing the Diesels”, as the imposed aggressive development of the technology and the substantial investments associated with it, may not be compensated in the future with the continued drop in sales.
Laurent Blanchet, Product Director, Groupe PSAWe decided that if in 2022 or 2023 the market is, say, 5% Diesel, we will give it up. If the market is 30%, the issue will be very different. I don't think anyone will be able to say where the market will be. But what is clear is that the trend in Diesels is downward.
The alternative, as with all other manufacturers, involves the increasing electrification of their models. At the Paris Motor Show, Peugeot, Citroën and DS presented hybrid versions of several of their models and even a 100% electric model, the DS 3 Crossback. Will the sales be enough to ensure the right numbers when calculating emissions? We will have to wait...
Bentayga loses Diesel in Europe
Even luxury builders are not immune. Bentley introduced the Bentayga Diesel at the end of 2016 — the first ever Bentley equipped with a diesel engine — and now, less than two years later, withdraws it from the European market.
The justification is linked, according to the brand itself, to the “political legislative conditions in Europe” and a “significant change in attitude towards Diesel cars that has been widely documented”.
The arrival of the Bentayga V8 and the strategic decision to focus more on electrifying its future are the other factors that contributed to Bentley withdrawing the Bentayga Diesel from the European markets.
However, the Bentley Bentayga Diesel will continue to be sold in some international markets, where Diesel engines also have commercial expression, such as Australia, Russia and South Africa.