Diesel sales German car maker in USA a break – FAZ – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Woodcliff Lake / Dunwoody (AP) – After the exhaust scandal at VW, the diesel cars of other German manufacturers in the US will slow sellers

. Mercedes-Benz fell in January, the number of diesel cars sold in the US by around 65 percent year on year, with BMW the value decreased by 62 percent, as requests of financial news agency dpa-AFX in corporations showed. The diesel share of US sales was similar for both producers however already very low.

Mercedes sold in January in the United States or 334 cars with diesel engines in BMW there were 205. The country in which the exhaust gas manipulations were uncovered by VW, but is, according to a BMW spokesman the only market where the diesel sales Bayern have suffered significantly since then.

a Daimler spokeswoman stressed that the sales of diesel cars in the USA varies from month to month. He had spotted less than five percent of total sales in the US in recent years. Including petrol placed the US Sales at Mercedes in January to minimal.

Mercedes-Benz is currently selling models GLS, GLE and E-Class in the US diesel. BMW’s 3 Series, 5 Series, X3 and X5 in the market. VW and Audi offer in the country now no more diesel cars.

“The diesel strategy pursued by the German automotive industry for many years, particularly in the important US market, was the operations in a large seriously damaged companies, “had the president of the industry association VDA, Matthias Wissmann, said at the beginning of overlooking VW. The German carmaker was until recently a leader in the diesel market, especially VW. Most US manufacturers have no diesel cars in the program.

In Germany, diesel, however, is much more popular. At BMW, almost three out of four cars sold in Germany Diesel. According to calculations by the CAR-Institute of the University of Duisburg-Essen, the diesel share was Mercedes in the first eight months in 2015 in Germany at 59 percent, with the VW brand were 55 percent.

An important argument for the diesel however weakens currently: the price of oil – and hence the price of fuel – is at an extremely low level. The price for North Sea Brent has crashed by almost three quarters since mid-2014.

Diesel cars consume comparatively less fuel than gasoline, diesel also is in Germany less taxed than petrol. In Germany, a liter of premium gasoline in January cost according to the ADAC on average around EUR 1.24, a liter of diesel 0.99 euros. For the full year 2013, ie before the beginning of the decline of the oil price, the cost of a liter of super average 31 cents more, diesel was 43 cents more expensive. The petrol price falls thus in a cost-benefit analysis before buying a car less important.

In the US, however, there are no tax concessions for diesel. He is there generally even more expensive.