More consumers are converting to clean diesel vehicles, which means more gas station operators will need to fuel these needs for cleaner fuel options.
Clean diesel automobile sales in the U.S. increased by 27.5% during the first six months of 2012 alone, according to new sales information compiled by HybridCars.com and Baum and Associates.
The following are statistics on clean diesel automobile sales in the U.S.:
- Clean diesel automobile sales increased 22.3% in June 2012 from June 2011
- Clean diesel automobile sales increased 14.4% in May 2012 from May 2011
- Clean diesel automobile sales increased 28.2% in April 2012 from April 2011
- Hybrid car sales increased 63.5% during the first six months of 2012
- The overall automobile market increased 14.9% during the first six months of 2012
“Despite some volatility in the auto market, clean diesel auto sales have increased in 22 of the past 23 months with double-digit increases in 20 of those months,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. “And diesel auto sales increased by more than 30% in 12 of these months. While this is significantly less than the 50% diesel sales rate in Europe, it does indicate that Americans are taking a renewed interest as more diesels are being introduced into the U.S. market.”
According to a Pike Research study, rising fuel prices and stronger fuel economy regulations will stimulate increasing demand for clean diesel vehicles in markets around the world. Pike forecasts that the sales of these clean diesel vehicles will increase from 9.1 million in 2012 to 12.1 million annually by 2018 with clean diesels representing 12.4% of all light-duty vehicle sales.
Schaeffer said with higher and fluctuating fuel prices, Americans are seeking more fuel efficient cars. He said the new federal fuel efficiency standards that required a 54.5 mpg average by 2025 will also boost clean diesel auto sales. He said the following diesel cars will be available in 2012: Audi A6, Audi A8, Q5 TDI, BMW, Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel with Chrysler, Ford commercial van, Cadillac ATS from General Motors, Chevrolet Cruze from General Motors, Mazda SKYACTIV-D, Mercedes S350 BlueTEC and the 2012 VW Beetle.