Diesel finds support from BMW at Auto Shanghai

19 April 2017 BMW board member Ian Robertson has come to the defence of the diesel engine at Auto Shanghai, pointing out that sales are only seeing a slight decline in the German market.  Despite Euro regulations forcing manufacturers to make cleaner cars, diesel engines are still cited for their contribution to poor air quality. Robertson, member of the board of management of BMW AG, sales and brand BMW, aftersales BMW Group, criticised the fact that discussion about emissions in Germany did not distinguish between old and new editions of the legislations, saying: ′In fact the diesel with the Euro 6 standard is a very clean drive.’  Vehicle manufacturers are still pursuing diesel programs to meet the strict EU emission regulations for carbon dioxide, while electric and alternative fuels are still under development. However the issue of nitrogen oxides, which can cause health problems, has seen campaigners calling for a drastic reduction in their use. Some local authorities agree, with cities such as Stuttgart planning to ban non-Euro 6 diesel vehicles from its roads.   Robertson also added: ′Countries where there are incentives [state support to move to low emission vehicles] will push this development forward.’ He then went on to criticise the ′late timing’ of the German program, which had only seen 15,000 applications by mid-2016.