Diesel cars were, are and will continue to be the leaders, at least in the premium and luxury car segment. We hear that diesel cars in the premium and luxury classes are giving their petrol siblings a hard time on the Indian roads. Reports reveal that three out of five cars sold during the first half of 2010 were diesel powered. With more and more SUVs and luxury sedans coming in with the diesel option, more Indians are going to fall prey to these vehicles making it clear that sales numbers of diesel-fuelled cars are bound to grow further.
Mercedes-Benz MD & CEO & Wilfried Aulbur says, “The verdict is clearly in favour of diesel cars.” Customers prefer the new-age diesel engine automobiles to their petrol equivalents. Car makers have come with advanced diesel motors that promise instant acceleration and better torque figures. Meanwhile, petrol is still trying to digest and get closer on the technological alterations.
During the January-June period, 6.88 Lakh premium and luxury cars costing over Rs 4 Lakh were sold. 79 per cent of 446 luxury cars sold during the period were diesel variants of the BMW 7-Series, Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class. It is clear that Indians love their diesel cars that come with refined technology and offer better mileage and acceleration.
Pawan Goenka, president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers’ Association says that diesel is no longer the dirty fuel. He adds, “It offers tremendous advantages over petrol to play around with, and the market is clearly heading for its domination.”
The much hyped, more advanced CRDi technology has found its place in cars across all segments, and this could be another reason for the recent surge in diesel car sales. The CRDi technology which premiered in the Hyundai Accent eight years ago is now loaded even in basic diesel automobiles like the Mahindra Bolero and Tata Indica hatchback. The ground-breaking technology burns fuel faster. The fuel efficiency and pick-up just got better because of this.
The higher sales are now compelling car makers to re-think on the expansion of their diesel car production. Honda which has only petrol cars in the country has finally realized the need for a diesel launch. So, we may have diesel variants of the Honda City and Honda Civic, say two years from now. Takashi Nagai, CEO & president of Honda Siel Cars India admits, “We cannot miss the diesel bandwagon. It is fast outgrowing petrol cars, and Honda will have the answer in 2012.”
Maruti Suzuki too is building its diesel sales portfolio. The car maker had brought in its first diesel-powered car, the diesel Swift, in 2007. Now, diesel car sales have grown significantly and form almost 30 per cent of Maruti’s total domestic demand. If GM has just the diesel variant of the Chevy Cruze, Maruti is planning to launch its biggest model SX4 in diesel. Hyundai, which doesn’t want to be left behind, will soon launch its i10 in diesel.
