Jaguar Land Rover has launched a new diesel education programme to reassure buyers of the benefits of diesel cars. News of the company-wide scheme came days before the Government is due to announce its air quality strategy that’s reported to include a diesel scrappage scheme and measures to restrict older diesel cars from polluted city centres.
Up to ninety per cent of Jaguar Land Rover cars sold in Britain come with a diesel engine, and the manufacturer is aiming to reassure buyers of the benefits of diesel cars amid the negative attention diesel cars have received over recent months.
Diesel exhaust fumes and particle matter have increasingly been connected with health dangers, with experts linking air pollution to 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK. As a result, JLR says it has customers calling up and ask whether diesel will soon be banned.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has previously said that the new Euro 6 emissions standards that all new diesel cars have to adhere to are far tougher on emissions, resulting in today's cars polluting 56 per cent less nitrogen oxides (NOx) than previous, Euro 5 cars.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK’s managing director said: “People are confused, and intimidated. We are explaining that diesel still produces less CO2 and depending on how you drive and where, you will have different needs.”
“We, the car industry, accept we are part of the problem around pollution but are also a big part of the solution, meeting the new targets and investing in electric cars,” he said. “But cars are only responsible for about a fifth of the pollution - no one is talking about HGVs and other transport.”
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