UK PM ThatIdiotBorisJohnson has a good idea: Pay drivers to give up gas guzzlers and buy electric cars. The chief argument against it from within the government is that it would mainly benefit foreign carmakers and not create UK jobs, as though Adam Smith had never lived, and we were in the time of Mercantilist economics and the Navigation and Stamp Acts that did so much to provoke the American Revolution, the original Brexit.
Well, I admit that we rather are, since the current Brexit. Anyway, it isn't the fault of the rest of the world that the UK can't make or sell good cars, particularly electric cars.
The government is reportedly considering launching a car scrappage scheme, in which drivers could be given up to £6,000 to trade in their diesel or petrol vehicle for an electric one.
Boris Johnson will use a speech on 6 July [maybe] to announce the measures, according to The Telegraph, following a 90 per cent decline in car sales in May, when compared to the same month last year.
The government is looking to give the UK car industry a boost – particularly Britain’s three biggest car manufacturers, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and Nissan, which all have electric cars at the heart of their sales strategies.
Autocar
Report: new UK scrappage scheme 'unlikely', say ministers
But the Financial Times is now reporting that there is no guarantee such a scheme will be launched, with four senior officials telling the paper that it is now "very unlikely" such a scheme will be launched. It is understood the Treasury is reconsidering the best way to stimulate the UK economy following the coronavirus crisis and there is a belief that a scrappage scheme would boost overseas manufacturers more than British firms.
With no official word from the government, the new reports could deter potential customers from pushing ahead with buying a new car in the short term. Exclusive research conducted by Autocar sibling brand What Car? shows that 29% of car buyers are already delaying plans to buy a new car post-lockdown in the hope of a taxpayer-backed scrappage scheme.
The What Car? survey of 6632 new car buyers also revealed that nearly 19% have changed the brands they were considering pre-lockdown, and 25% will be moving to a smaller car. Notably, around one in 12 buyers have said they are looking to buy a pure EV as a result of the lockdown, with one in seven likely to opt for a hybrid.
Government’s reported scrappage scheme for petrol and diesel cars welcomed by motoring and environmental groups
The AA described the plan, first reported in the Daily Telegraph, as “fantastic” while Greenpeace said it would be “moving in the right direction”.
2020 new car scrappage scheme proposed | carwow
3 days ago - Reports suggest the UK government is considering a car scrappage scheme, offering car buyers discounts of up to £6000 to scrap a petrol or diesel car in favour of a new electric or hybrid model. A new car scrappage scheme is set to be announced, offering car buyers discounts of up to £6000, according to reports.
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Hyundai Scrappage and Emission Reduction Scheme. We're taking older less efficient cars off the road while making a new Hyundai even more affordable.