home
> News
> Australia’s new emissions rules will put yet another bump in the road for diesels
Australia’s new emissions rules will put yet another bump in the road for diesels
November 11, 2015
Australia’s new emissions rules will put yet another bump in the road for diesels
By Varun Rao and Damon Honnery
Wednesday 11 November 2015
Diesel cars have been rather controversial lately, as anyone who has been following Volkswagen’s recent tribulations will know.
In the past few years diesels have surged in popularity in Australia. They now account for 19.7 per cent of all registered vehicles (up from 13.8 per cent in 2010). The number of registered diesels increased by more than 60 per cent from 2007 to 2012.
Consumers have embraced diesels mainly because of the savings delivered by their favourable fuel economy. But the Volkswagen scandal suggests that some manufacturers can design engines that meet either the requisite emissions standards or the market’s expectations of fuel economy and driveability, but might struggle to achieve both.
Australian emissions standards have generally lagged behind those of Europe and the United States, but the gap will reduce in November 2016, when Australia will adopt the full Euro 5 standard for all light vehicles.
Motorists will see the advent of hitherto unfamiliar emissions control devices, and it could potentially signal the end of the road for booming diesel sales.
Read more at Eco-Business.
category : Topics
