Suzuki has announced that it will drop all diesel-powered cars from its lineup in the UK citing shrinking sales of diesel vehicles. In the month of March, diesel sales fell by 37% in Britain compared to March 2017, according to an Autocar UK report. Diesel cars have long accounted for a small portion of sales for Suzuki in the UK, and now it has shrunk to just 3% of Suzuki’s UK sales. Suzuki offered only one diesel engine, the Fiat-built 1.6-litre DDiS, with just two models – the Vitara and SX4 S-Cross.
However, a Suzuki spokesperson told Autocar UK that diesel cars will remain on sale in the Republic of Ireland as the demand is much stronger there. For the rest of the United Kingdom, diesel engine models will be available from existing stock only.
Last year, Suzuki sold just over 1000 units of the diesel Vitara and SX4 S-Cross in the UK, when the brand shifted 40,000 units in total in Britain. Suzuki may have left a window for a potential comeback for its diesel models, the figures depict a story otherwise.
Besides the decline in demand, there are also stricter emissions norms coming up which led to production halts for Audi SQ5 and BMW M3. However, the Suzuki spokesperson maintains that the move came purely out of the drop in demand. Suzuki’s spokesman told Autocar: “Our diesel engine was Euro 6 compliant so it’s nothing to do with emissions.”
Also read: Porsche kills all diesels in its lineup, stops production of Macan S Diesel and Panamera 4S Diesel
Also read: Maruti Suzuki Gypsy likely to be revived, but not soon: Here’s why Maruti Suzuki is not in a hurry
In February this year, Porsche made a similar announcement dropping the Macan S Diesel and Panamera 4S Diesel, citing a “cultural shift” in consumer demands. However, Porsche will add a diesel option to the latest Cayenne next year.
In related news, Suzuki Jimny has been spotted testing numerous times and is expected to be more of a rugged off-roader. Expected to be revealed in the final quarter of 2018, Suzuki Jimny could likely replace the ageing Maruti Suzuki Gipsy in India.
