30 Oct 2006
By Luca Ciferri, Automotive News Europe
Turin, Italy - Diesel-powered new cars are outselling petrol-powered models for the first time in western Europe.
From January to August, diesels accounted for 50.6 percent of western Europe's total new-car volume, according to figures from the Association Auxiliaire de l'Automobile, based in Paris.
Automakers sold 9.9 million cars in western Europe through the first eight months, according to data from the European automakers association, ACEA.
Analysts forecast that diesel will finish the year with an even bigger share of the market.
"We still see the diesel on a modest growth path, closing the year at 51.4 percent," said Alastair Bedwell, at consultancy J.D. Power and Associates' office in London.
Diesel's share of the western European new-car market was 24.8 percent in 1998.
From Automotive News Europe (A Crain publication)
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