Citroën's boss says "diesel engines have no future"

Are diesel engines done?

36w ago
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Diesel engines were once considered polar bear savers but they quickly became devilish following (there's no point pretending otherwise) VW's dieselgate. Brands like Audi and Mercedes did a complete 180 and switched to hybrid and petrol engines overnight (even though both brands still build diesel engines and maintain they will continue to do so in the foreseeable future) while other brands - Porsche, for example - saw it as an opportunity to ditch a type of technology they never really liked in the first place. Most auto makers have openly said they aren't going to make diesel cars anymore and Citroën is the latest brand to jump off the diesel bandwagon as the company's CEO confirms the French manufacturer will focus on hybrid and petrol engines because "diesel has no future".

In an interview with Autocar, Citroën CEO Vincent Cobée said he's "extremely cold-blooded on diesel. It was 80 percent of the segment five years ago and less than 50 percent last year; it could be less than 15 percent in three or four years".

As things stand, you can still buy diesel-powered Citroën cars (C4, C4 SpaceTourer and C5 Aircross) but every new model, including the all-new C5 X, will be only sold with petrol/hybrid/electric engines.

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Comments (29)

  • I think Citreon has no future

      8 months ago
  • What a stupid thing to say. I have performed emissions test on many vehicles. Pretty much every diesel built after 2010 has almost no emissions during the test. Citroen has also always been strong advocates for diesel, it would be a shame to lose them

      8 months ago
  • They’ve just lost a sale. If the C5x doesn’t come as a diesel, then I’m not buying one, and I’ll buy another Audi. Shame Citroen, such a shame

      8 months ago
    • Or buy a Mk2 C5! You can even get one with a diesel V6! It's a great car overall and a landmark one too as it signified the end of an era for Citroën. Future classic for sure, even if I'm a little biased myself 😜

        8 months ago
    • Haha! I do like the Mk2 C5! Maybe I’ll consider it!

        8 months ago
  • I understand that they are ditching diesels but I don't get the whole hybrid thing. Hybrids combine the worst of both worlds in terms of eco friendliness.

      8 months ago
  • Diesel is already having no future in China. Nobody buys diesel cars in China. Taxis are powered by CNG and electricity, buses by electricity, vans by petrol and electricity, small trucks also by electricity. Only coaches and lorries still has no alternative power source left.

      8 months ago
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