Mitsubishi To Stop Making New Diesel Engines

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation MMTOF will stop the production of new diesel engines, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

What Happened

The Tokyo-based multinational automotive manufacturer will reduce its diesel lineup to some SUVs and small trucks in the U.S. and Europe and the non-commercial vehicle Delica D:5 in Japan by December 2021.

Mitsubishi Motors, however, will continue to upgrade its existing diesel engines for two main models, including the Outlander SUV through 2021.

Why It Matters

Sales of diesel engine vehicles are dropping worldwide, especially in Europe. The numbers are expected to drop by 40% in the next decade, according to the Nikkei.

In Europe, the total number of registrations for small diesel cars fell from 825,591 in 2015 to 468,856 in 2018, Financial Times reported in June 2019.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. NSANF decided to stop manufacturing new diesel engines in June 2018. The company said at the time that it would stop launching the engines from 2021.

Other Japanese automakers have also discontinued the diesel production in Europe, including Honda Motor HMC Toyota Motor Corp Ltd Ord TM.