Petrol vs diesel car sales 2019 sees more demand for petrol vehicles over diesel
BS6 was primarily aimed at reducing emissions, but an unwanted fallout is the phasing out of diesel variants of many popular cars. The Indian auto market is expected to see fewer diesel units being sold in the near future, as the country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki has decided to discontinue its diesel models. Upgrading diesel cars to BS6 would have made them costlier which is something that would have taken away the affordability advantage associated with Maruti Suzuki cars. Meanwhile, the Indian auto industry is facing huge losses to corona virus lockdown.
However, not everyone seems to be in the mood to ditch diesel. Some carmakers are still offering BS6 diesel variants to attract customers. There are also brands such as Mahindra & Mahindra which generate most of their business through diesel vehicles. In comparison, Maruti Suzuki should not have any major issues with discontinuing its diesel models as more than 3/4th of its sales are from petrol cars.
Petrol vs Diesel Cars Sales Numbers- 2019
| No | OEM | Petrol | Diesel | Electric/Hybrid | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maruti | 11,51,752 | 3,34,191 | – | 14,85,943 |
| 2 | Hyundai | 3,70,903 | 1,39,065 | 292 | 5,10,260 |
| 3 | Mahindra | 12,447 | 2,06,396 | 875 | 2,19,718 |
| 4 | Tata | 99,542 | 53,361 | 41 | 1,52,944 |
| 5 | Honda | 1,05,663 | 29,078 | – | 1,34,741 |
| 6 | Toyota | 28,748 | 97,280 | 673 | 1,26,701 |
| 7 | Renault | 81,089 | 7,780 | – | 88,869 |
| 8 | Ford | 29,984 | 43,652 | – | 73,636 |
| 9 | Kia | 24,920 | 20,574 | – | 45,494 |
| 10 | VW | 21,544 | 10,780 | – | 32,324 |
| 11 | Nissan | 16,636 | 6,944 | – | 23,580 |
| 12 | MG | 9,110 | 6,820 | – | 15,930 |
| 13 | Skoda | 6,056 | 9,228 | – | 15,282 |
| 14 | Jeep | 4,643 | 6,595 | – | 11,238 |
| – | Total | 19,63,037 | 9,71,744 | 1,881 | 29,36,662 |
If we look at the percentage of petrol units sold against overall sales, Renault comes in at number one position in 2019. The company sold 81,089 petrol units, which translates into 91.2% of overall sales. Honda comes next with sales of 1,05,663 petrol units, which is 78.4% of total sales. At number three is Maruti Suzuki with a sales figure of 11.51 lakh petrol units and 3.34 lakh diesel units (77.5% and 22.5% of overall sales), respectively. Hyundai and Nissan take the next two spots with their petrol units contributing 72.7% and 70.6%, each.
Talking about diesel-focused carmakers, Mahindra leads the pack with sales of 2.06 lakh units in 2019. This is 93.9% of its 2019 sales. Next is Toyota with 97,280 diesel units sold in 2019 (76.8% of overall sales). At number three is Skoda Auto with 60.4% of its overall sales coming from diesel cars. Ford and FCA follow with diesel car sales accounting for 59.3% and 58.7%, respectively.
Petrol vs Diesel Cars Sales % Diff- 2019
| No | OEM | Petrol % | Diesel % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maruti | 77.51 | 22.49 |
| 2 | Hyundai | 72.69 | 27.31 |
| 3 | Mahindra | 5.66 | 94.34 |
| 4 | Tata | 65.08 | 34.92 |
| 5 | Honda | 78.42 | 21.58 |
| 6 | Toyota | 22.69 | 77.31 |
| 7 | Renault | 91.25 | 8.75 |
| 8 | Ford | 40.72 | 59.28 |
| 9 | Kia | 54.78 | 45.22 |
| 10 | VW | 66.65 | 33.35 |
| 11 | Nissan | 70.55 | 29.45 |
| 12 | MG | 57.19 | 42.81 |
| 13 | Skoda | 39.63 | 60.37 |
| 14 | Jeep | 41.32 | 58.68 |
Carmakers that appear to have achieved a balance between petrol and diesel sales include the likes of Kia Motors and MG Motor. The proportion of petrol and diesel units sold by Kia and MG are 54.8%/45.2% and 57.2%/42.8%, respectively. Kia was the first carmaker among the two to offer a BS6 diesel variant and this has helped boost its sales.
EV/hybrid sales look promising even though the numbers are still too small in comparison to petrol and diesel units. Mahindra leads the pack with 875 units, which is 0.4% of its overall sales. Next is Honda with 673 units, contributing to 0.5% pf the total. Hyundai also appears to be gaining traction in this space with 292 units. Tata’s EV sales hit 41 units in 2019. The EV / hybrid space is expected to fill up fast in the coming years.