The diesel car market in Western Europe: the recovery gathers pace

The diesel car market in Western Europe has emerged from the recession relatively intact, with sales reaching over 2 million units in 1992 and accounting for 17.1% of the market. PSA Peugeot Citroen leads the market with some 520,000 new diesel cars sold in 1993, followed by the Volkswagen Group, with some 365,000 units and Renault with about 320,000 units. The sector is dominated by medium-sized cars, with the best selling diesels in Europe being the Peugeot 306 and 405. The five biggest European markets for diesel cars are France, Germany, the UK, Spain and Italy.