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Carmakers want the Government to scrap the road user charge on diesel passenger cars. The call comes as sales of light diesel vehicles increase and as the results of last week's Energywise Rally are being analysed.
Hyundai Automotive NZ managing director Phillip Eustace says the charge is a "draconian tax from a bygone age".
"We need to be encouraging New Zealanders to use the new-era diesels, not discouraging them," Eustace says.
The Automobile Association general manager for technical services, Stella Stocks, says: "The AA believes it is time to review the existing road-user charge system to recognise the positive benefits of small, fuel-efficient diesel vehicles." The rally's supreme award went to a petrol-electric hybrid, the 1.5-litre Honda Civic. It covered the 1600km Auckland-Wellington-Auckland route for $105.80, the lowest overall running cost. It used 76.67 litres of petrol to average 4.72 litres/100km, or just under 60mpg.
The environment award went to the petrol Smart Fortwo coupe, with its turbocharged 698cc engine. This award is for the vehicle with the lowest fuel consumption, adjusted for CO2 emissions. It covered the journey for $105.96, using 73.58 litres of petrol to average 4.53 litres/100km, or just over 62mpg.
But the diesel vehicles used the least amount of fuel and won almost all the classes for the least CO2 emissions.
The small 1.5-litre Fiat Grande Punto used just over 70 litres at an average of 4.34 litres/100km, or 65mpg. The 70 litres cost $69.16 - but the road user charge of $52.21 for the distance pushed the overall cost to $121.37. The 1.6-litre Kia Cerato sedan, in the hybrid Civic's category, used 76.09 litres at a cost of $74.79. The road user charge added $52.21.
The 2-litre Volkswagen Jetta sedan used 83.63 litres at a cost of $82.19 at an average of 5.15 litres/100km. The diesel tax pushed the overall cost up to $134.40.
Its petrol-powered class competitors - the 2.4-litre Honda Accord and 2.3-litre Mazda6 - used about 109 litres at a cost of about $157 at averages of 6.72 and 6.79 litres/100km.
The 2-litre diesel VW Passat used about 90 litres. Its V6 petrol rivals - the 3.6-litre Holden Commodore and 3.5-litre Honda Legend - used 140 litres and 147 litres.
The 2-litre diesel four-wheel-drive BMW X3 used 99 litres. The 2.4-litre petrol Honda Odyssey used 131. The 2.2-litre diesel Hyundai Santa Fe used 103 litres. The 4-litre petrol Ford Territory used 174.
Eustace says the use of cleaner-burning, fuel-efficient diesels in New Zealand is being held back "by an iniquitous tax which was never designed for this purpose". He says the road-user charge was designed to provide equity when most users of diesels were truck operators. "But today everyone from a sports utility family to a supermarket shopper in a small car is likely to be driving a diesel and paying this silly, cumbersome and outdated tax."
Hyundai has just boosted its vehicle line-up with the addition of diesel variants of the Sonata sedan and Getz hatchback. It also launched the Accent and Elantra range. The Accent casts between $24,990 and $27,490, and the Elantra $27,990 to $32,990.
