Only 13 percent of Germans would buy a diesel car – survey

The debate over driving bans for diesel cars and the ongoing diesel emissions fraud scandal involving German carmakers have hit the technology’s image hard. Only 13 percent of respondents in a survey said they would now opt for a diesel car, Focus Online reports. In the survey commissioned by Targobank, 52 percent said they would buy a car with a petrol engine and 15 percent said they would buy a hybrid model, overtaking diesel for the first time, the article says. Only five percent said they would buy a fully electric car. Price and range continue to be the most important criteria for potential buyers, while sustainability ranks third, Focus Online says. Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they believed the dieselgate scandal primarily hurts ordinary customers and nearly as many rejected the idea of using tax money to retrofit manipulated diesel cars. One in two respondents said they believed diesel driving bans will ultimately be implemented but almost half also said they do not think this measure is appropriate.

Find the article in German here. 

See the CLEW dieselgate timeline and the Q&A on diesel driving bans for more information.