With the price of diesel soaring. a lost diesel car

As diesel prices have been high, the location of diesel cars, which have already narrowed, is further decreasing. In addition to the perception that it is the main culprit of air pollution, demand has decreased due to the lack of urea water last year, and even cheap fuel costs, which were the advantages of diesel cars, are disappearing.

According to the Korea Automobile Industry Association on the 31st, Kia Sorento's sales of diesel cars plunged from 36.0% in December last year to 5.4 percent in February this year. Monthly sales fell from 2003 to 257.

During the same period, hybrid car models increased from 48.0% to 73.9%. Gasoline models also increased slightly from 16.0% to 20.7%. Sorento is the largest domestic sport utility vehicle (SUV) with sales of 5,000 units per month. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the cumulative number of diesel cars registered last year was 9.87 million, down 120,000 from 9.99 million a year ago, showing the first-ever decline. The automobile industry attributed the recent decline in diesel car sales to a lack of components related to dedicated controls, but basically, it was caused by a decrease in demand for diesel cars in the market.

In the online community, where automobile consumers gather, a series of postings have been posted to stop each other from purchasing diesel cars. One consumer wrote, "The diesel car is virtually completely finished," adding, "The price will also drop when sold secondhand because there are no people looking for it." Another consumer posted an analysis saying, "If gasoline and diesel prices are the same, there is no diesel smoke reduction device (DPF) and exhaust gas reduction device (EGR), and gasoline without urea water is advantageous." More and more people are writing that if you buy a diesel car, you can see people around you who value eco-friendliness. One consumer said, "When people say I'm going to buy a diesel, it's stressful because people around me stop me. It's better to wait a year and buy a 'Harb (hybrid vehicle)'," he said.

Some consumers still argued that high fuel consumption efficiency compared to gasoline cars was the strength of diesel cars, but the recent increase in fuel-efficient hybrid SUVs supported more opposition that there was no need to insist on diesel cars.

Car manufacturers are also distancing themselves from diesel cars. Hyundai Motor stopped producing diesel models of the Genesis G70 and G80 last year, and is no longer producing diesel cars as sedans. An official from the import car industry also said, "It is not easy to actively release diesel cars due to eco-friendly consumption trends."

"It is not an exaggeration to say that few consumers who come to buy cars recently are thinking of buying diesel cars," said Kim, a Hyundai Motor sales employee. "It seems that they reluctantly choose diesel cars when the waiting line for electric cars, hybrid vehicles and gasoline vehicles is too long."

Some predict that demand for diesel cars will revive if diesel prices return to their previous levels. However, experts believe that the global shortage of diesel is more likely to intensify due to the suspension of Russian crude oil supply. Yoon Jae-sung, a researcher at Hana Financial Investment, said, "The shortage of diesel, which is more serious than the shortage of semiconductors, will hit the world," adding, "It is difficult to invest additionally in diesel production due to the decarbonization flow." This is expected to lead to a strong diesel price and accelerate the exit of diesel cars

Date: 2022-04-01

Reporter: 신정훈