Nissan to phase out diesels
The company will continue to offer diesel vehicles in the short term but in the long term Nissan will focus on electrified vehicles, said a spokeswoman for the company.
"Along with other manufacturers and industry bodies we can see the progressive decline of diesel but we do not anticipate its sudden end in the short-term," the spokeswoman said. "At this point in time and for many customers, modern diesel engines will remain in demand and continue to be available within Nissan's powertrain offering."
"In Europe, where our diesel sales are concentrated, our electrification push will allow us to discontinue diesel gradually from passenger cars at the time of each vehicle renewal," she said.
A source had earlier told Reuters last month that Nissan would cut hundreds of jobs at its Sunderland plant, Britain's biggest automotive factory, due to falling demand for diesel models in Europe.
Nissan sold 128,456 diesel cars in Europe last year, or about 16 per cent of its total deliveries in the region, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Toyota said in March that it will stop selling diesel-powered passenger cars in Europe by the end of this year. Diesel vehicles account for less than 10 per cent of Toyota's car sales in Europe.
Nissan joins Fiat Chrysler and Toyota in committing to on day halting the sale of diesel vehicles in Europe. Earlier this year, Toyota announced it would stop selling all diesel passenger car models in Europe by the end of 2018. Fiat Chrysler said it will halt the sale of all oil-burning cars by 2022. Unlike Toyota and FCA, though, Nissan has yet to provide a timeframe for the change.
Other Japanese automakers could follow Nissan and Toyota as the region moves to tougher emission standards after Volkswagen Group's diesel emissions scandal.
“The Japanese especially I could see doing this, since they were more skeptical of the technology from the beginning and don’t have a lot of competence in the field,” said Stefan Bratzel to Bloomberg, director of automotive management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, naming Honda and Mazda. as two likely candidates.
