Light-duty diesel sales to hit 27 million by 2015

Diesel Fuel News, Sept 29, 2003

Automotive analyst JD Power's new light-duty car/truck forecast for 2015 shows global diesel sales more than doubling over today's 12.5 million/year level.

While Europe will continue to dominate the light-duty diesel market, "we expect diesel cars and trucks to comprise as much as 16% of new light-vehicle sales in North American within the next 12 years," the analyst said.

Other big diesel-car growth markets include India and South Korea, the report says.

"The larger, heavier and less aerodynamic the vehicle, and the greater the annual distance traveled, the greater the financial incentive to switch to diesel," the forecast finds. This is true even in countries lacking tax incentives for diesels, the analysis indicates.