Are the days of the diesel engine numbered?

Could your investment in diesel components go up in smoke?

With increasing evidence that diesel engines have a devastating impact on the environment, there have even been renewed calls to introduce a special scrappage scheme to incentivise owners of diesel vehicles to replace their cars with cleaner alternatives. With the diesel engine now at risk of extinction, how could the sudden disappearance of thousands of vehicles (and therefore potential customers) impact businesses in the aftermarket?

While diesel-powered vehicles were once seen as the frugal alternative to gas guzzling petrol cars, it seems the Government is now punishing owners of diesel motors with hefty taxes and congestion charges. Given that many aftermarket spare parts suppliers offer a huge range of components specifically for diesel engines, if such a scheme was to be launched, it could force a large number of parts and components to become obsolete virtually overnight.

With this in mind, it’s vital that businesses take this into account when planning their inventory requirements for the coming months. Given that any Government intervention could have a devastating impact on the sales of diesel parts and components, investing in too much stock now could prove a costly decision in the future.