Diesel car sales set to plummet further in 2018

Sales of diesel-powered cars are likely to plummet further in 2018 as a result “environmental concerns and Government policy”, a new study has found.

Researchers at Aston University, in Birmingham, believe the diesel market will see a “double-digit slump in percentage terms” over the next 12 months, The Independent reports, with car buyers confused over the Government’s stance towards to fuel.

Professor David Bailey, an automotive expert at the university, says: “Sales of diesels are set to fall by up to 10% in 2018 and they could have as little as 30% of the market by 2020.”

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He adds that the diesel market could represent just 15% of all new car registrations by 2025.

Contemporary diesel cars are “much cleaner” than their predecessors and produce less carbon dioxide (CO2) than petrol vehicles, says the BBC News website.

But industry experts claim “anti-diesel rhetoric from the Government” has left consumers believing they will pay more tax in the future if they buy a car that runs on diesel, according to the site.

New registrations for diesel vehicles fell by 17.1% in 2017 alone, contributing to the first drop in new car sales for six years, according to newly released figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Meanwhile, CO2 levels have risen for the first time since records began more than two decades ago, as buyers increasingly opt for petrol-powered cars, reports the Daily Mail.