U.S. Clean Diesel Auto Sales Up 41% in August, Hybrid Sales Jump 38%

August was a strong month for passenger vehicle sales in the United States and clean diesel and hybrid cars were no exception, with diesels showing a 41.8 percent increase compared to August 2012 and hybrids experiencing a 38.1 percent increase, according to data compiled by Hybrid Cars.com and Baum and Associates.

The overall U.S. car market registered a 17.0 percent increase in August 2013 compared to August 2012.

For clean diesels, August’s 41.8 percent increase was preceded by a 38.1 percent in July 2013 over July 2012.  It was the 32nd monthly increase in diesel car sales in the past 36 months, with 27 of those months registering double-digit increases.

“This new sales information illustrates that Americans are not only accepting but embracing alternative fuel and new technology vehicles in record numbers,” said Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

“While clean diesel cars make up about one percent of the total U.S. vehicle market, the diesel share increases to over three percent when pickup trucks and vans are included, ” he noted.

Added Schaeffer, “While this is significantly less than the 54 percent diesel sales rate in Europe, it does indicate that Americans are taking a renewed interest in diesels. And this interest is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. There are currently 17 diesel cars, eight diesel pickup trucks and six diesel vans available in the U.S.  At least 19 new diesels are scheduled to be introduced in the U.S. market in the next two years.”

Category: General Update