The erosion of the market share of diesel motors continues in Belgium. Now, fewer than four vehicles out of ten registered in our country have a diesel motor, according to figures emerging from the Belgian Automobile and Cycle Federation (FEBIAC).
In 2017, the number of gasoline-powered vehicles registered in Belgium was higher those with a diesel motor, which was a first. Ten years earlier, diesel still represented 80% of the market. But the elimination of CO2 bonuses in 2011, and the Dieselgate scandal in 2015, reversed the trend, to the benefit of gasoline. The new excise duty policy at the pump, which no longer favours diesel, also increased the popularity of gasoline-powered vehicles.
So, at the end of 2017, 46% of the newly- registered vehicles were equipped with a diesel motor, versus 48% with a gasoline-powered motor, and 5.5% with an altenative energy source (electric, hybrid, etc.). An acceleration of the phenomenon has been observed over the first two months of 2018: 38% of the new vehicles are diesel, 56% use gasoline, and 6% use an alternative energy source.
On the market of passenger cars, the phenomenon is even greater with only 20% of the market share being diesel. However, two thirds of company cars are still diesel.
The Brussels Times
