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Originally Posted by searchingheaven India’s rising obsession with diesel worries govt
The growing preference for diesel by car buyers and industrial users over petrol and furnace oil has the government worried. The reason: the yawning gap between the prices of diesel and petrol has prompted a clear shift towards the former. A senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office told Hindustan Times: “High consumption of diesel is posing a serious threat to the environment and is encouraging a shift from other costlier fuels to diesel.” |
I reckon the PMO's senior official has either returned from Antartica or from the moon! Else, he/she would have known by now that the government has already anticipated the "growing preference for diesel by car buyers."
And why should the Centre get worried about the shift from petrol to diesel? What has it done to discourage the use of subsidized fuel for private use? First, it is heavily subsidizing diesel; Second, it is constantly hiking petrol prices; Third, it did not levy a tax on private diesel cars, as was initially anticipated in the budget. When diesel is almost Rs 25-30 less than petrol per litre and when diesel engines are more fuel efficient, why should anyone opt for a petrol engine, especially when the car in question has a diesel variant?
Some one has suggested that petrol-only cars (Alto, Wagon-R, etc) are still hugely popular. Give these cars a diesel variant and see the difference. The Beat Petrol had mediocre sales until the diesel variant was launched.
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Originally Posted by SwiftSD Diesel consumption by private cars is no where close to the commercial vehicles probably the reason why no additional tax was implemented this time. |
With the huge demand growing for the diesel option and given the huge petrol-diesel price difference, I suspect that diesel consumption would among private cars would grow rapidly. Remember, at one point in time, scooters were outselling motorcycles by a huge margin. Today, it is the other way round.
I also suspect that the diesel car lobby would exert every pressure on the government to abstain from that additional diesel tax.
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Originally Posted by hrman Will we ever see a time when the price difference between Petrol and diesel is very narrow? Not in our lifetime I guess.. |
Such a situation has recently occurred during our lifetime: GOA. At present, the difference between petrol (Rs 55) and diesel (Rs 44) is barely Rs 11, thanks to the BJP government in the State. This has propelled advertisements for petrol cars over here.
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Originally Posted by GTO One has the brand & car that the market wants, but no diesels. The other...Fiat & Honda should do the unthinkable. Elope, get married and give birth to some wonderful kids (i.e. a Honda Jazz with the 1.3L MJD). |
And what an offspring it would be: The Honda Jazz with the 1.3 MJD would be my ultimate dream car.
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Originally Posted by GTO Even if the gap comes down, remember that diesel engines are still more fuel-efficient. Consider Europe; diesel doesn't have the kind of subsidies there, yet diesel cars are the more popular. |
I doubt, though, that diesel cars would be in huge demand in India if diesel prices were to be on par with petrol prices. Indians may be obsessed about FE no doubt, but the additional Rs 80,000 - Rs 1 lakh for the diesel variant would repel many Indian customers. I have come across quite a number of people who still feel that a diesel engine...
1. Is expensive to maintain.
2. Is not as reliable as a petrol engine.
3. Is very noisy compared to a petrol engine.
The only reason why this same set of people are willing to consider the diesel variant as opposed to the petrol variant is because of the diesel-petrol price difference.
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Originally Posted by GTO There will always be diehard enthusiasts like us who insist on buying a petrol for the sheer driving pleasure ![Smile](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.png) . |
And then, some of these "diehard (petrol) enthusiasts" will go and buy a Nissan Sunny diesel, as and when the need arises.
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Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay Beat and i10 are available in Diesel in this segment. Comparable car in the segment (Wagon R) outsells both. |
The i10 does not have a diesel variant for the Indian market as of now.