Sales of diesel cars fall 14% in Germany

FRANKFURT: Sales of new cars in Germany rose in August, official figures showed on Monday, but uncertainty over the future of diesel saw registrations of vehicles powered by the fuel continue to slide.

The total number of new registrations on German roads rose by 3.5% compared with the same month in 2016, the federal transport authority KBA reported, reaching almost 254,000 vehicles with Volkswagen leading the pack despite being at the heart of the diesel scandal. That was faster than growth of 1.5% in July.



Registrations of diesel cars fell by almost 14% year-on-year last month. Prospective buyers in Europe’s largest economy have been spooked by politicians’ response to mass cheating on regulatory emissions tests to conceal excessive levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Some cities are mooting bans on heavily polluting vehicles at certain times to tackle the resulting air pollution. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “working to prevent driving bans” as a gathering of mayors of badly affected cities and towns got under way on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2017.

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