Clean diesel auto sales jump in 2011
January 12, 2012
With pressures rising in Washington, D.C. and California for fleet companies to cut down the emissions that their trucks give off through upgrades and retrofits, many are looking for a cleaner, more affordable way to transport their cargo.
That quest may have helped contribute to a jump in clean diesel auto sales last year - a study from Baum and Associates and HybridCars.com found that total sales in the sector rose 27.4 percent year-over-year in 2011.
"I fully expected clean diesel auto sales to increase further as several new diesel cars enter the U.S. market in the next couple of years," commented Allen Schaeffer, the Diesel Technology Forum's executive director. "While most auto makers have clean diesel autos on the market in Europe, Asia and Australia, there are growing indications that even more diesels are on their way to the U.S. market."
According to the study, clean diesel sales also outpaced hybrids, which dropped 2.2 percent for the year even after seeing strong growth months in February, March and November. More manufacturers are also electing to offer clean diesel options. The companies said that Chrysler had plans to develop a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel for release next year or in 2014, while Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, General Motors and Porsche will all be releasing their own models that run on diesel.
A separate study from Pike Research showed that hybrid medium and heavy duty trucks would also become popular in the coming year, with sales nearly doubling at 92 percent growth.
Schaeffer also noted that some of the increase may be due to American drivers' greater awareness of the fuel efficiency and emissions improvements that come from transitioning to clean diesel technology.
That may be good news, as the battle over emissions standards is heating up in California. Bloomberg reports that a federal judge recently blocked the state Air Resources Board's low-carbon fuel rule, because it goes against the Constitution's Commerce Clause and "discriminates against out-of-state corn ethanol."
CARB is fighting back, the source reports, and issued a statement arguing that "the low-carbon fuel standard is an evenhanded standard that encourages the use of cleaner low-carbon fuels by regulating fuel providers in California. It does not discriminate against any fuels on the basis of geography."
