The End Of Diesel In France?

Europe loves its diesel-powered cars. With the price of gasoline so high, more than half of the vehicles on the road in the old continent use diesel.

In France, diesel totally dominates: more than 80% of all cars are equipped with a diesel mill.

• Also: 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTec: Diesel, at last!
• Also: A Cummins Diesel for the Nissan Frontier?

However, a few cities in France are quite polluted, and it seems that this fuel is to blame. In an effort to reduce the number of diesel cars on the road, the French government has decided to change a few laws.

First of all, another tax will be added to this petroleum distillate. Not only will this deter some customers, it will also add revenue for the government: around 807 million extra euros.

Then, there are talks of a new law: if it comes to pass, owners of vehicles that don’t meet the most recent environmental laws will be charged more for the right to register them.

Finally, there could also be a law that would restrict access to European city centres for polluting cars.

Domination of the diesel seems to be slowly but steadily ending in Europe. This does not bode well for our market, either.