Belgian diesel sales plummet in 2018

On a total of no less than 549,632 new cars registered in Belgium in 2018 (the second highest figure ever), the diesel market share plummeted to no more than 35,5% of total sales.

Diesel Market share declines rapidly in the Belgian market as a whole

Only ten years ago, Belgian customers registered 79% of diesels, a figure that was among the highest in Europe. In 2017, that figure had already dropped to 46,3%, but last year, the decline went on, ending in a market share of only 35,5% for the new Euro 6-diesels registered in 2018.

Belgian car federation FEBIAC says that the decline started when the eco-bonuses granted for low CO₂(diesel) cars came to an end in 2011. Knowing that diesel receives bad press these days, and given the rising taxes on that specific type of fuel, making diesel more expensive than petrol, the tendency against diesel is unstoppable, though FEBIAC thinks that diesel will still be around for a long time, given the fact that it is the fuel for all kinds of transport (vans, trucks...) and for those who cover long distances.

The decline of diesel does not result in a rapid increase of electric or hybrid powered vehicles. It is clearly the petrol engine that benefits from the diesel decline, with 58,6% of all new car registrations in 2018, compared to 48,2% in 2017. Hybrid power still accounts for less than 4,5% of all new registrations, and electric cars only see a very slight increase in sales figures (3,600 cars and a 0,66% market share compared to 2,700 in 2017).

LNG and CNG do somewhat better as a fuel, with almost double the sales figure in 2018 compared to 2017: 4,000 (0,78% of the market) against 2,500 a year earlier.

Which brands were the most popular in Belgium in 2018?

Volkswagen took the lead in 2018, with 52,738 new cars registered and a market share of 9,60%, followed by Renault (50,213 cars and 9,14%) and Peugeot (42,623 and 7,75%). BMW was the first premium brand (40,057, 7,29%), followed by Mercedes that completes the top five with 35,526 cars and a market share of 6,46%.

First Asian brand is Hyundai, with 21,727 cars sold (3,95% market share) in tenth position. No good news however for Audi, that sees its sales figures drop by 4,613 compared to 2017, and totals 28,710 cars or a market share of 5,22% in 2018.

Photo: Volkswagen Media Site