German Diesel Car Sales Dropped 19% In April

Presumably as a result of all of the talk in recent months of implementing diesel car bans (in some cities), sales of new diesel cars in Germany fell by around 19% in April, according to the country’s federal vehicle authority KBA.

Image by ©torange.biz

This drop in diesel car sales corresponds somewhat to the overall German auto market during April — which saw a decline of around 8%.

All of they said, diesel cars still maintain a 41% market share in Germany, so there’s still a ways to go before diesel car sales there are nonexistent.

Reuters provides more: “Registrations of new cars in Europe’s largest auto market fell to 290,697 vehicles in April because of 3 fewer selling days, restricting the rise in sales in the first 4 months of the year to 2.5%, to 1.14 million cars, the KBA federal vehicle authority said on Wednesday, confirming an earlier report by Reuters.

“Sales of diesel cars plunged, with their share of the overall market shrinking to 41%, KBA said, noting that sales of gasoline-powered cars were flat while electric vehicles posted strong gains from low base levels.”

That’s good news, of course, but as the figures show, if transportation-sector greenhouse gas emissions are going to be curtailed to any real degree, then the pace of change is really going to have to pick up from where it is now…

It should be realized that if adjusted for 3 more selling days, overall car sales in Germany would have risen 7% in April. Even if electric vehicles do continue to gradually gain market share in the years ahead, if the overall market keeps growing at the same rate, then the gains won’t mean much.