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A definite increase in demand for diesel cars has upped their market share to over 30 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent in the last 18 months, sale figures of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' have revealed.
According to SIAM, over 25,000 of the total 93,383 passenger cars sold in October were diesel models, with major growth being witnessed in the mid-segment. This is corroborated by the sales of recent launches like Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Verna, whose diesel models have surged ahead of their petrol variants.
Scott McCormack, vice-president, sales and marketing, Ford India, said: "We saw 154 per cent growth in sales in September 2006, selling 4,260 units in September this year as compared with 1,679 units last year. Over 70 per cent of these sales came from the Fiesta's diesel variant, where our proprietary Turbo Direct Common Rail injection technology has been accepted well by customers."
The runaway success of Hyundai Verna, which sold more than 5,000 units in the first fortnight of its launch, was led by its diesel variant.
Arvind Saxena, vice-president, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said: "After Verna's success, we are planning different diesel options for our other cars. A new facility is coming up at our existing plant in Chennai and is meant for our present and future engines."
A slew of diesel launches slated for next year are expected to shift the market further towards diesel cars. While Maruti's Swift remains the most awaited diesel car, Aveo from General Motors and Getz and Sonata from Hyundai will also have diesel variants shortly.
GM is also planning a diesel version of Optra after the success of its CNG variant. Fabia from Skoda Auto and Tata Motors, the largest player in the diesel segment, will be coming out with the latest common rail direct injection engines shortly.
The sale of diesel cars is growing at about 6 to 10 per cent a year. It is expected to get closer to the share of petrol cars in the next few years, whose sale is growing at 13 per cent annually.