According to VW Group UK boss Paul Willis, the UK’s diesel car market will suffer a 30% sales drop as people are buying more hybrids and electric cars than ever before.
Willis gave his prediction at the Future of the Car Summit, where he put a 30% share at the bottom of his estimate for the market, while mentioning that it “maybe” could remain as high as 40%.
If his prediction does come true, a 30% drop would return the diesel market back to 2005 levels, whereas bottoming out by 40% would equal 2007 levels, as reported by Autocar.
“The percentage of diesel will decline. It’s already happening. The first to be affected will be small cars,” said Willis.
Of course, aside from alternative fuel solutions, this decline is also being driven by the Dieselgate scandal and the growing awareness of health issues linked to poor air quality. Having said that, Willis also predicts that the diesel car won’t be going extinct anytime soon, mainly because of certain consumers that need to own a car that can travel long distances and be fueled easily.
“Diesel will continue to play a significant role in the market for drivers who need flexibility,” added the VW exec.
Another interesting point raised during the conference was about the residual values of diesel cars, though Willis said there’s currently no evidence of second-hand prices declining.
PHOTO GALLERY
