Used diesel cars are increasingly being exported to other European countries, according to a study by the Institute for Applied Logistics at the University of Applied Sciences in Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt published on Tuesday. 

"The diesel engine has an image problem in Germany," study author Christian Kille told Xinhua. This would make second-hand diesel cars virtually unsaleable in Germany, therefore creating demand from dealers in other countries. 

According to the study that evaluated data from the German Federal Statistical Office, exports of used diesel vehicles rose last year by 20.5 percent to almost 240,000 vehicles. With 22,045 cars, most used diesels went to Italy, followed by Austria and France. 

Planned driving bans for diesel cars in German cities as well as the strict Euro 6 emissions standard, means that old German diesels become particularly attractive to countries where such environmental considerations are currently not as advanced. 

Eastern European countries like Croatia and Ukraine witnessed the highest growth rates. Compared to 2016, imports of used German diesel cars to these countries increased by 89.6 and 136 percent respectively. "Relaxed import regulations also played a role here," Kille explained. 

The Middle East and Africa in particular could perhaps play a greater role in the future than expected. "The study does not monitor secondary sales, so we do not know where the vehicles finally end up," Kille told Xinhua. 

On the other hand, Countries like Norway have little interest in used German diesel cars. Driving bans have already come into effect since January 2016 and, compared to other European countries. Electric mobility is already far advanced in the Scandinavian country, explaining the low demand for old German diesel vehicles, according to Kille. 

"As long as there is uncertainty about the future of diesel, it will remain harder to sell," Kille describes the current increase in the export of diesel vehicles as a short-circuit reaction to the exhaust gas scandal triggered by Volkswagen and the resulting image problem. 

The increased export figures of second-hand diesels would slowly return to normal levels over the next five to ten years, according to Kille.