Consumers need to be given better quality information about diesel cars including from the Government and inconsistencies in Government policy needed to be removed to repair damage done to the new car market.
That’s the opinion of Glenn Sturley, chairman of the Vehicle Remarking Association, who said, “The messages about diesel that the Government has given out in the last year or so are, at best, confusing, as is their policy itself in key areas such as Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car Tax. To some extent, it is no surprise that consumer perceptions are muddled.
“The fact is that the quite extreme decline in the new diesel car market that we are seeing is very much a preventable one – but the industry needs help to get the positive messages required across to potential new car buyers.
“Those messages are simple – new diesel cars remain a good environmental choice and there is no reason at all to expect a collapse in their values. With the right level of commitment, there is no reason that they cannot be successfully communicated.”
