With each passing day, diesel vehicles keep piling up on TN roads at a massive rate, thanks to government subsidy which has made the price of diesel cheaper than that of petrol, so as to help farming and public transport sectors.
Authorities estimate that share of diesel vehicle in overall passenger vehicles must have crossed 50 per cent in the state. And, the sale of diesel cars has increased by 40 per cent in the city.
“The penchant for diesel vehicles has gone up considerably since last year and the eagerness for buying petrol cars among new vehicle buyers has gone down drastically ever since the country started witnessing subsequent deregulation of petrol prices,” avers a manager of a leading automobile showroom in the city.
He added that they were selling around 200 petrol cars and 70 diesel cars a month early 2011 and now the sales of petrol cars have gone down to 70 per month. Sale of diesel cars has picked up by 40 per cent and 100 cars are being sold every month, he said.
According to transport department, registration of diesel vehicles has escalated in recent times owing to increasing petrol prices.
“Vehicle buyers in rural areas prefer only diesel vehicles due to fuel efficiency, whereas in cities, where the liking for petrol cars was high, the trend seems to have changed. Even, auto drivers prefer diesel autos,” said a senior transport official.
Of the total 4.13 lakh passenger vehicles (bus, vans, autos, mini bus) in the state registered till last month, diesel vehicles amounts for more than 50 per cent, transport officials say, though the department does not have statistics on diesel vehicles.
For instance, numbers of lorries has increased over 300 per cent in last two decades (88,735 to 2.95 lakh).
Barring two-wheelers and some cars, all other vehicles run on diesel and their emission rate is relatively higher than petrol operated vehicles, the official added.