VW scandal pushes diesel cars into the slow lane

Buyers are turning away from all diesel models, and cleaning up the technology will be a long and expensive business

Since the Volkswagen emissions test scandal in September, it is not just the German carmaker that has suffered a blow to its image. Diesel automotive technology also faces a battle to regain public trust.

There are already some signs of demand for diesel cars shrinking since VW was forced to apologise for installing "cheat devices" in 11 million vehicles. In Germany, Europe's largest car market, demand for diesel cars was down 11% by the end of October compared with the average level this year, according to data from car buying website MeinAuto. The decline for VW diesel cars was even steeper, down 14%.