European sales of diesel powered cars stormed to new records in 2003, while sales of cars powered by traditional petrol engines slid in recession-hit Europe, according to the latest edition of the Automotive Industry Data (AID) newsletter.
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Almost 44% of new cars were diesel powered in 2003, up from 40.4% in 2002, according to the report. Diesel market share has doubled over the past 12 years and sales rose nearly 7% last year to a record 6.2 million. Sales of petrol-powered vehicles slumped about 7%.
Soon, diesel power will be in the majority.
“According to our research, the day that diesels will account for more than half of Europe’s passenger car market could be just around the corner,” said AID managing director Peter Schmidt.
