Photo: Ford
Small cars aren’t doing great in Europe as far as sales are concerned. The same can be said about diesel options, and you have to thank VW for that.
The Dieselgate scandal has uncovered industry-wide emissions cheating, and as a result of this misconduct, the European Union took a harder line on compression ignition in passenger vehicles. As if diesel technology wasn’t already expensive, the emissions regulations for 2021 convinced many automakers – including VW - to switch to mild-hybrid gasoline options or higher levels of electrification.
Ford, which has been struggling in Europe in the past years, is feeling the pressure as well. Over in the United Kingdom, the Blue Oval decided to discontinue the 1.5 TDCI of the Fiesta over decreasing sales for the turbodiesel mill.
At the launch of the eight-generation Fiesta, the higher-ups at Ford of Europe expected the TDCI to account for 9 percent of UK sales. Autocar understands from a spokesperson that sales are “very, very low” indeed without going into further detail, but it’s easy to understand why the sales figures are so worrisome.
Let’s look at the UK configurator for the Fiesta. The 1.0-liter EcoBoost mild-hybrid is available from 18,110 pounds sterling on the road while the entry-level variant of the turbodiesel is 18,280 pounds sterling. That may not be a huge difference, but the horsepower figures are very different indeed at 125 vs. 85 HP.
Secondly, think about the maintenance costs of a gasoline engine over a diesel. Even with mild-hybrid assistance, the EcoBoost is more affordable to service while the TDCI is susceptible to diesel particulate filter and fuel injector issues.
To make matters worse for compression ignition, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports that diesel accounted for 14.3 percent of the new car market in the UK in September 2020. On that note, diesel-fueled superminis never made a lot of sense given the footprint and curb weight of these cars.
Ford, which has been struggling in Europe in the past years, is feeling the pressure as well. Over in the United Kingdom, the Blue Oval decided to discontinue the 1.5 TDCI of the Fiesta over decreasing sales for the turbodiesel mill.
At the launch of the eight-generation Fiesta, the higher-ups at Ford of Europe expected the TDCI to account for 9 percent of UK sales. Autocar understands from a spokesperson that sales are “very, very low” indeed without going into further detail, but it’s easy to understand why the sales figures are so worrisome.
Let’s look at the UK configurator for the Fiesta. The 1.0-liter EcoBoost mild-hybrid is available from 18,110 pounds sterling on the road while the entry-level variant of the turbodiesel is 18,280 pounds sterling. That may not be a huge difference, but the horsepower figures are very different indeed at 125 vs. 85 HP.
Secondly, think about the maintenance costs of a gasoline engine over a diesel. Even with mild-hybrid assistance, the EcoBoost is more affordable to service while the TDCI is susceptible to diesel particulate filter and fuel injector issues.
To make matters worse for compression ignition, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports that diesel accounted for 14.3 percent of the new car market in the UK in September 2020. On that note, diesel-fueled superminis never made a lot of sense given the footprint and curb weight of these cars.
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