In a week in which much has been said about Diesels around here (all thanks to the controversy surrounding the statements by the Minister of Environment), the data released by JATO Dynamics confirmed that 2017 was a dark year for Diesel sales in Europe, 2018 was nothing behind.
With a market share of only 36% (a drop of 7.8% compared to last year) in the European market — which grew just 0.1% in 2018 — Diesel engines did not go beyond the values reached in 2001, this already after the 2017 share of market for this type of engine has dropped to 43.8%, the lowest value since 2003.
If we compare the 36% market share achieved last year with the 55% achieved in 2011, or even the 51% achieved in 2015, it's not hard to see that Diesel sales have been declining since Dieselgate went public , in 2015.
Also falling sales volume
As might be expected, the drop in market share was also reflected in Diesel sales volume. Thus, in 2018, sales of diesel-powered cars were stopped by 5.59 million units , being necessary to go back to 2001 to find a lower result, when 5.44 million cars were registered with this type of engine.Diesel continues to lead in Portugal
If in 2017 Diesel engines were still leading sales in six countries, in 2018 they saw their dominance reduced to just three: Ireland, Portugal and Italy . Furthermore, these three countries are the only ones in which Diesels still account for more than 50% of the market.
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Over here, even after a drop of 7.8% compared to 2017 (the year in which the market share remained at 61%) Diesels not only led the market but accounted for more than 50% of sales . In fact, in all of Europe there is only one country where Diesels reached a market share higher than Portugal, Ireland, which still saw sales of these engines drop by 10.7%.
Italy, which between 2016 and 2017 had only seen Diesel sales fall by 1% (even having reached a market share in 2017 higher than in 2011, 56.5% compared to 55%) saw sales of this type of engine fell 5.1%.
Finally, France overtook the United Kingdom to establish itself as the third largest market for diesel engines in terms of sales volume behind Germany and Italy. Uncertainty about Brexit and doubts about possible bans on circulation led the Diesel market in the UK to fall to 2004 values (32%, a drop of 10.3% compared to 2017).
Diesel is still king among premiums
Despite the drop in sales, diesel engines continue to lead the preferences of those who buy premium models from brands such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Volvo. But let's see, among the ten brands that sell more cars with diesel engines, eight are premium, and this type of engine accounted for more than half of sales.However, among the 83 brands analyzed, only three saw Diesel sales grow compared to 2017, DS saw the biggest growth going from 44% to 49% . The year 2018 was also synonymous with the abandonment of Diesel engines by several brands, some to bet on electrification and others just because these already represented reduced sales figures.
And the future?
The 2018 numbers confirmed that “Diesel panic” is a reality, with a considerable percentage of European consumers abandoning these engines. However, according to JATO Dynamics, the trend is that after two years of sharp decline, it will be more moderate in the coming years.
Analysts also refer that, contrary to what happened initially, the drop in sales is no longer due to scandals but to the increase in the offer of hybrid and electric models . At the same time, JATO Dynamics points to “unclear messages” about diesel from governments as another cause of the decline of this type of engine.
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