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The western European diesel car market-share fell back in March as the BEV segment gained share, according the LMC automotive consultancy. February’s diesel share of new car sales in the region was at 21.4% while March preliminary data has it at 18.0%. Many buyers opted for electrified cars, in particular BEVs with Tesla providing a “strong showing,” according to LMC. In terms of volume, March, despite the declining diesel share, saw a higher volume of diesel cars being delivered than either January or February: 184,000 were sold versus 154,000 in February.
“Notwithstanding the share decline in March, it could be said that diesel share remains in relative stability that has been in place during the last two quarters following lengthy decline. March’s 18% figure is in fact a little higher than that seen in September of 2021,” said LMC.
“Further decline is inevitable though and may be accelerated by steep price increases at the diesel pump. Gasoline prices have risen a little less, which heightens the attractiveness of that fuel type over diesel while BEV looks increasingly alluring from a fuel price standpoint as liquid road fuels continue at near-record price levels across the region,” noted LMC.
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IonQ, Hyundai Motor to Explore Quantum Computing for AVs
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IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a quantum computing firm, and Hyundai Motor Company today announced a new project to apply quantum machine learning to image classification and 3D object detection.
The goal is to improve the computation process for tasks such as road sign image classification, and simulation in a real-world test environment to expand 3D object detection. Image classification and 3D object detection are vital to autonomous vehicles. (AutoInformed.com on: Recalls – Unintended Acceleration on Hyundai Ioniq EVs; Hyundai Motor 2020 Business Direction – Electrification, Autonomous Vehicles, Mobility Services. Sound Familiar?) Continue reading →