Diesel cars could soon power into the Bahrain market, if the government gets its way. Authorities are trying to convince dealerships to start importing vehicles that run on diesel, which is a more economical fuel than petrol.

Bapco is even planning to convert its entire fleet of vehicles to diesel in an effort to persuade others to follow suit.

'Bapco is in talks with several dealers now to try and convince them to import diesel-powered cars and these talks have been encouraging,' Bapco chief executive Faisal Al Mahroos told the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, on Thursday.

'We have proposed a diesel car racing competition as well, which could be organised in the near future.'

He admitted car dealerships had been reluctant to ship in diesel cars in the past, but hoped attitudes were starting to change.

'We have been met with lukewarm response from car dealerships over the use of diesel in the last few years, but we have not given up,' he added.

Bapco has been producing low-sulphur diesel for the past three years, but exports it to countries where diesel-powered cars are more popular.

'It would be a good idea to at least start running our own vehicles on this fuel,' said Al Mahroos.

He added that once there was reasonable interest in diesel vehicles, Bapco would start selling it at petrol stations. 'We hope this can happen soon,' he said.

Al Mahroos said there was an 'anti-diesel' sentiment in Bahrain, which stemmed from the heavy and noisy engines of the 1980s and even earlier.

'They used to emit thick black smoke and were not something people would want,' he explained.

'Now with high quality diesel available and modern diesel engines, it is the cleaner alternative.'

Diesel engines are deemed to be greener than their petrol-powered counterparts because they do more miles per litre.

'Since diesel cars use less fuel, they consume less per mile,' said Al Mahroos. 'That means it's more environmentally friendly,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service