Diesel car sales fall 27 per cent: Centre

New Delhi: Three-fourths of fuel cars sold in India in 2016-17 were of petrol whereas sales of diesel cars plummeted to 27 per cent, from 47 per cent in 2012-13, the government said on Tuesday. According to data on fuel-wise sales percentage in domestic sales placed in Parliament, the percentage of diesel cars sold in India has been consistently declining since 2012-13. 

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has intimated that the recent ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on diesel cars of more than 10 years old is one of the reasons for the sales drop versus gasoline (petrol) cars, minister of state for heavy industries Babul Supriyo said in a written reply. 

While the percentage of diesel cars sold in 2012-13 was 47 per cent, it came down to 42 per cent in 2013-14, 37 per cent in 2014-15, 34 per cent in 2015-16 and subsequently to 27 per cent in 2016-17. On the other hand, the sales percentage of petrol cars has been rising continuously to 73 per cent in 2016-17, from 53 per cent in 2012-13.