Forecaster expects diesel demand to double by 2015

The global demand for diesel vehicles is expected to nearly double over the next 10 years to 29 million vehicles from 15 million sold worldwide last year, J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting said on Thursday.

A sharp increase in demand in the US, which has been slow to adopt diesel, will help fuel the growth, the company said.

Diesel vehicles are expected to make up 10 percent of the vehicles sold in the US by 2015 from the current rate of just 3.2 percent. That will help push the global market share of diesel vehicles to 26 percent from the current rate of 18 percent, J.D. Power forecast.

“As a proven, cost-effective and `off-the-shelf’ solution, diesel has a head start over other emerging fuel-efficient technologies,” Alastair Bedwell, senior manager for J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting said in a statement.

AFP