It now accounts for about half of all cars sold in Europe (thanks to superior fuel economy and de facto subsidies), but that market share is dropping as consumers realize the tech is not as clean as advertised. Meanwhile, diesel looks more and more like a losing bet. And for those caught breaking the rules, expensive legal settlements and fines, which for Volkswagen have exceeded $22 billion in the United States alone, will divert funds from research and development just as these changes in driving technology threaten to render traditional carmakers obsolete. As shifts like autonomy, electrification, and shared ownership change the way people use and buy cars, these companies will have enough trouble navigating the coming decades.ĭedication to diesel adds to the challenge, chaining automakers to a losing technology. Worldwide, diesel vehicles are producing about 50 percent more nitrogen oxide than regulations allow, according to a new study, which links those emissions to 38,000 premature deaths in 2015.īut, in the long run, the diesel fallout could reach further, helping set up carmakers as the next industry to be upended by Silicon Valley. The most immediate impact of the emissions cheating scandal that has engulfed Volkswagen and may be spreading to automakers like Fiat Chrysler is an environmental and public health crisis.
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