European auto-makers promote diesel

In a seminar titled "The Diesel-Powered Engine: A Practical Solution for Fuel Efficiency and Cleaner Passenger Cars" held by the Thailand Automotive Institute, Bosch Diesel System vice president Anton Beer said the market share of diesel vehicles globally was forecast to surge from 22 per cent of 58 million auto units sold in 2002 to 31 per cent of 96 million units in 2016.

He said Thailand had an interesting growth history. The country targets producing 1 million diesel vehicles - the majority of them pickups - this year, rising to 1.2 million annually over the next six years.

"Thailand should give more support to diesel technology because its carbon-dioxide emission is 25 per cent lower than petrol engines and it has more effective fuel use," he said.

BMW Group Thailand president Michael Kordys said diesel-engine passenger cars were popular in Western Europe because of their better efficiency than petrol-driven cars.

BMW launched diesel-engine passenger cars in Thailand two years ago and plans to introduce two more diesel models this year.

Kordys said Thailand and Japan had high growth potential for diesel passenger cars. BMW forecasts that demand for diesel-engine vehicles in these two countries will grow by about 4.4 per cent per year in the period 2002 to 2014.

"Diesel technology is much improved," he said. "Modern diesel engines have overcome the disadvantages of earlier models - loud engine noise and high maintenance costs - while the fuel cost per kilowatt produced is 30 to 50 per cent lower than that of petrol engines. This should be a good alternative for customers who are shouldering rising fuel costs."

A participant from Shell said it was difficult to promote diesel cars in Thailand because people are stuck with the noisy, polluting image created by trucks and pickups. The government should reconsider the tax structure for diesel, which is distorted to support industrial manufacturers and low-income people, he said.