[libranof1987]

Powerful analysis! I bet the data will be further skewed towards petrols once you remove the sizable yellow-board registrations which are (almost) 100% diesel.

Originally Posted by R-Six

For the Fortuner and Innova, why are they even having a Petrol variant? With just 1% of their overall sales being the Petrol version, how are they managing the production line? Are they like, manufactured on demand only after there is a booking?

For Toyota, the cost of producing one (on-demand, likely) is negligible compared to the advantage. The 2000cc+ diesel ban in Delhi caught several manufacturers terribly off-guard, so much that Mahindra quickly launched a sub-2l XUV and Scorpio.

Having a petrol perhaps buffers them in case we have some more of these wonderful rulings.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post3896312 (Mahindra Scorpio & XUV500 get new 1.99L mHawk diesel engine)

[k88k]

Happened to check the waiting periods 2 days ago for Innova Crysta Diesel and Petrol variants.

Deisel: Immediate
Petrol: 45 days!

[Hayek]

Interesting data. Suspect the claw back towards petrol is partly because of reduced fuel prices and worries about diesel bans in markets like Delhi.

Even though the percentage difference between diesel and petrol has decreased, higher absolute fuel prices make the diesel fuel efficiency advantage count for more.

Why? Think of a diesel SUV like my X3, which gives about 9 km per litre in Mumbai traffic. The cost per km was ₹ 6.5 back in early 2017, and that has risen to ₹ 8.5 today. For the petrol variant (which would give about 7 km per litre in the same conditions), the cost of fuel was under ₹ 10 per litre then, and is more than ₹ 12.5 per litre now. In short, the diesel advantage has risen from ₹ 2 per km to over ₹2.5 per km. Does not make a big difference for folks who don’t drive that much like me (I drive just 725 km per month) - a petrol would have cost me just ₹ 1800 per month extra - but there would be others for whom that difference matters.

[swapnil.awate]

Interesting data, fantastic work!

I can see 3 more cars beaten the trend (IMO), whose diesel variants are expected to sell more, but that is not the case.

1. Honda BR-V: May be due to AT or dislike to this particular diesel engine.
2. Skoda Octavia and Superb: TSI preferred over diesels.

[AKTRACK]

Diesels still have fans. Diesel numbers are surprising to me. Now with the difference of just Rs 8 between a liter of petrol and diesel and the plethora of other things going against diesels, they should have been decimated, but apparently that is not the case.

From all the numbers given above what I could summarize is, if one has got the money they will splurge on diesel.

I also did some math and if I just look at the diesels from a per km cost perspective one saves at least Re 2 per Km on a diesel at today's fuel prices.

A sanely driven 1.5 petrol - what mileage will it give at most? 15-17? Whereas for 1.5 diesel it can be anywhere between 23-27. Plus diesels are more forgiving on a heavy foot. Petrols are not.

[gupta_chd]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

Diesels still have fans. Diesel numbers are surprising to me. Now with the difference of just Rs 8 between a liter of petrol and diesel and the plethora of other things going against diesels, they should have been decimated, but apparently that is not the case.

Come to Punjab. You may be surprised to see the price difference. It is around 15 rupees. No body likes to buy a petrol car of size Swift and above.

[MBstoTBs]

Superb analysis. Kudos to you.

My feeling is - at present, buying a diesel car is fraught with uncertainty because of the upcoming transition and non availability of BS6 diesel cars. Hence the 61-39 split. Modern diesels are easier to drive than ipetrols, the running cost is lower, and maintenance isnt that big. Except for higher purchase price, whats there not to like, except a bit more noise?

As to pollution, per km travelled, BS6 diesel engines may be comparable or marginally worse than petrol. As BS6 cars arrive and people move up to slightly bigger cars (C2 seems to be the sweet spot), I believe the sales ratio will be more like 40-60, especially as CSUV/Crossover is the fastest growing segment now, and diesel is more sensible than petrol.

Any thoughts?

[landcruiser123]

I'm not surprised by the numbers. Remove CVs and the numbers might be 85:15. Most of the cars sold are hatchbacks to mid-size sedans (Ciaz, City, Verna, Yaris.) For these cars- petrols are comparable to diesels for the running of an average person.

Anything bigger- the owner doesn't mind taking the pinch of relatively poor FE of a petrol in case of a sedan or buys a diesel SUV/MUV. Also, cars like the Corolla have a poor diesel engine and a pretty good petrol engine.

My dad was about to buy the Petrol Innova in 2007- it was 2 lakhs cheaper with some discounts. But he didn't as the resale of Toyota diesels is pretty good.

[Crazy_cars_guy]

Wow, that's really insightful. Thank you @volkman10.

Personally, I am glad to see Indian manufacturer Tata evolving with times (albeit a little late). Until few years ago, Tata's majority sales was powered by diesel engines. No more.

I hope they keep the same momentum with EV technology too.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

A sanely driven 1.5 petrol - what mileage will it give at most? 15-17? Whereas for 1.5 diesel it can be anywhere between 23-27. Plus diesels are more forgiving on a heavy foot. Petrols are not.

Our garage has both small petrol and diesel car, the real life fuel efficiency is day and night, even though the claimed mileage is very close. Diesel's efficiency really shines in heavy traffic and while driving with very heavy foot.

[kaushikduttajsr]

I see a lot of BHPians quoting the uncertainty regarding government policy on diesel. What I don't understand is what kind of uncertainty is it? I know that things don't look too well in Delhi NCR region due to extreme pollution concerns, but except for that region, is there really any other news that people buying diesel cars now should be worried about?

P.S. I live in bangalore and I have just booked a Freestyle diesel. I have a pretty heavy foot and the last time I checked the MID during my TD, the instantaneous mileage was 9.5 for the petrol mill vs 14 for the oil burner (both for the Freestyle). I'm concerned if all the hullabaloo is worth a discussion except from the economics point of view.

[aniyo]

Uncertainty regarding the diesel ban in Delhi is playing for sure.
Also Bharat VI norms will kick in. And I don't think you will be allowed to re-register the car in a different metro if you chose to move in future with a BS IV engine. Not sure though if the current Ford diesel is BS VI ready

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by kaushikduttajsr

I see a lot of BHPians quoting the uncertainty regarding government policy on diesel. What I don't understand is what kind of uncertainty is it? I know that things don't look too well in Delhi NCR region due to extreme pollution concerns, but except for that region, is there really any other news that people buying diesel cars now should be worried about?

Here is an example: URL

Time and again such articles pop up speculating that a similar ban may spread to other cities. In terms of pollution the other Metros including Bangalore are not very far from the Delhi like situation (URL)

I own a diesel and prefer diesels and I live in Bangalore as well...However, I am not in the market for a new car as I am happy with my current ride. My plan is to stay put with my current car until the BS VI norms kick in and then take a call based on the situation.

[kaushikduttajsr]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

I own a diesel and prefer diesels and I live in Bangalore as well...However, I am not in the market for a new car as I am happy with my current ride. My plan is to stay put with my current car until the BS VI norms kick in and then take a call based on the situation.

Now this leaves me terribly confused.
I booked a Freestyle Petrol and then changed it to the diesel because of the insane TDCI mill and the fact that I have a heavy foot problem. On the other hand I'm in urgent need of a new car.

[A M]

Originally Posted by kaushikduttajsr

Now this leaves me terribly confused.
I booked a Freestyle Petrol and then changed it to the diesel because of the insane TDCI mill and the fact that I have a heavy foot problem. On the other hand I'm in urgent need of a new car.

Do not worry and go ahead with the diesel purchase. Cars purchased and registered before the enforcement of emission norms wil not be affected.