Today is the day when BS6 norms were applied and only those cars that are BS6 compliant were to be registered. The new norms have seen multiple companies avoid spending any money on producing diesel engines resulting in over 40 diesel cars that will not come with BS6 compliant engines.
The Supreme court has however allowed for a brief period of allowing the purchase of BS4 vehicle after the lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic ends. Dealerships are given 10 days after the lockdown ends are only allowed to sell 10% of their remaining stock.
Read more about it here: Will BS6 Deadline Extension Ease The Indian Automobile Industry?
The main reason for diesel cars phasing out is the profit margin for them. It’s already not profitable for the companies to make the new emission norms engine let alone sell them at price customers will be willing to buy. Also to note that the price between petrol and diesel fuel is closing the gap and it gives the automobile companies no reason to invest in diesel engines. The main selling point about diesel engines was the availability of cheaper fuel and not that much of a price difference compared to petrol engines.
Some of the popular diesel cars that will no longer be continued include and not limited to, Maruti Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Dzire, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Skoda Octavia and many more.
Maruti was the first company that made it clear that they won’t be investing in the diesel engine come BS6 with many other companies following like Renault, Volkswagen, Skoda and Nissan.
Similar Read: Maruti Suzuki Announces Price Hike Across Its BS6 Line-up
This feels like the perfect time for electric cars to gain a strong foothold in India but they do need some more infrastructure to be effective including more charging points and the like. No diesel engines is definitely a step in the right direction for the environment.
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