Diesel UV sales dive 50% in February as do diesel cars in first 11 months of FY2020

Narrowing gap between diesel-petrol prices, government restrictions in some cities and more expensive BS VI technology is putting diesel on the backburner.

In February 2020, sales of diesel-engined utility vehicles dropped 52% compared to February 2019.

Between April '19 February '20, petrol UVs doubled their share in total UV sales, with petrol cars gaining 7 percentage points.

Shift to petrol will get more pronounced from April 1 as stricter BS VI norms demand a significant 82% cut in PM2.5 emitted from diesel vehicles.

Under BS VI, NOx levels will go down by 25% for petrols and a drastic 68% for diesel engines, which also have to meet a severe 82% reduction in particulate matter levels.