Diesel will remain a key fleet fuel and an “indispensable” part of the air quality solution, Volkswagen told listeners to ACFO’s third webinar.
However, fleet decision-makers also heard that electric vehicles (EVs) were now “mainstream and not a compromise”, when it came to powertrain choice.
The webinar was told by Doug Hyett, national fleet sales manager at Volkswagen UK, that the manufacturer was “continuing to invest in diesel”.
Volkswagen, which sponsored the webinar, is also spending some €50 billion on battery technology in the next two years and €20 billion on EVs, with an expectation that by 2021 plug-in vehicles will account for 10% of UK brand sales.
Amid “a lot of fuss in the press and chat around diesel”, Volkswagen’s investment in Euro 6 engine emission technology was “immense”, said Hyett.
He continued: “Fleet fuels are changing with a shift towards battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, but diesel is still a huge part of the mix.
“The modern diesel engine is an indispensable part of the solution as it has improved dramatically over the years in terms of efficiency and environmental performance.”
