Diesel sales may never recover, even if technical advances make it a more environmentally friendly fuel than alternatives, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne believes.
“The disengagement is happening. Since Dieselgate, the share of diesel sales has reduced month by month,” said Marchionne. “There’s no point denying that, and it's clear that the cost of making diesel reach the new standards is going to become prohibitive.”
The FCA Group is set to unveil its next five-year plan to investors on 1 June, and Marchionne has already said that the firm will end sales of diesel models for its Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jeep and Maserati brands by 2022, reasoning that electrified technology will deliver better returns than investing in a new generation of diesel engines.
“We have to lessen our reliance on diesel substantially," he said. "Whatever the arguments on each side, the markets have turned against diesel and almost killed it.
“I'm not sure we have the strength as the FCA Group or as an industry to turn it around.”
At the height of the Dieselgate scandal, authorities accused a diesel engine in the Fiat 500X of using a cheat device – a claim that the crossover's maker vigorously denied.
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Bias report
I would suggest this is a bias report by a company unable to produce a range of competitive diesel engines. Whilst there has obviously been a balancing out of customers moving away from diesel, many of whom never really should have bought a diesel in the first place due to low mileage or mainly urban use. There is however a vital necessity for clean and efficient diesel engines for use in appropriate vehicles and driving circumstances. The use of Petrol only would have a massive impact on personal and industry operating costs. Hybrids and EV’s currently remain too expensive. Modern diesel s are not the dirty polluting vehicles, as labelled by some. Older diesel and petrol vehicles are far more of an issue to the environment. But it would be impossible to forcibly scrap every old vehicle. We need to have a choice of engines and that has to include diesel for some time to come.
"Modern diesels are not the dirty polluting vehicles...."
Been reading VW PR guff have you?
Finally a Jeep without a tractor Engine
Great news. It has been impossible to buy a Grand Cherokee without a Diesel engine in the UK for too long. For some time the only option was the SRT8 which was not price competitive if you wanted a normal spec vehicle and now that has been delisted. I suppose they are trying to clear the old stock of diesels. Hopefully we will be able to buy a Grand Cherokee in the UK with a regular Petrol engine again before too long.
RichHI wrote:
Yet in the states, the 3.6 is the base engine, and is $3,300 less expensive that the V8. The diesel is $4,500 more. I doubt we will see a price cut for Petrol power even if it does come, they will not want a large movement towards petrol, it wont do their corporate CO2 figures any good at all.
Excellent!