Renault has said that it may stop making diesel engines for the majority of the cars it sells in Europe.
The French manufacturer told Reuters that the cost of ensuring that diesel engines comply with emissions regulations is getting too high, and comes off the back of last year’s ‘Dieselgate’ emissions scandal.
Tougher emissions standards
Renault senior executive Thierry Bollore has said that tougher standards and testing methods, like the revised emissions tests due to be introduced next year, will make diesel engine economically impractical.
Even before the events of ‘Dieselgate’, Bollore said that Renault had already began to peel back the number of cars it offers with diesel engines, with cars like the Twingo getting no diesel option.
By 2020, when the EU is set to ramp up its emissions standards once again, larger Renault cars like the Clio and Megane are also unlikely to get variants with diesel engines.
Is diesel still economically viable?
However, currently more than 60 per cent of the 1.6 million cars that Renault sold in Europe last year were diesels, raising questions about the impact of the decision on Renault’s finances.
Renault isn’t the only manufacturer to consider pulling diesel engines from its range though, with Volkswagen also due to ditch diesel technology in favour of more hybrid vehicles.
