| There's a new buzz word in the motor industry - | | | | The Scrappage scheme would undoubtedly help the |
| Scrappage. Under this proposed scheme, consumers | | | | dealers in the UK. However, recently the discounts |
| who have a car over nine years old, would be able to | | | | being offered by dealers has often exceeded |
| take it to a recycling plant and in return they would | | | | £2000 and that obviously has not kick started |
| receive a voucher for two thousand pounds off a | | | | the car market. If introduced would the dealers not just |
| new, or up to one year old car bought from a | | | | revert to the list price and knock off the two grand? If |
| dealership. Great for the car industry, great for | | | | discounts of £7,500 off a Land Rover can't get |
| suppliers, great for dealerships, great for recycling, | | | | someone to trade in their banger, it's doubtful if an |
| great for the environment, great for everyone. Or is it? | | | | extra £2000 will make much of a difference. |
| Such schemes are already in operation in a number of | | | | Finally, we move to the "green" argument, taking |
| countries and in most cases they have noticeably | | | | inefficient, polluting vehicles off the road and replacing |
| increased sales in new cars, boosting their economies, | | | | them with shiny, new, highly fuel efficient vehicles, |
| helping to keep car workers employed and taking high | | | | sounds great until you look at the fact that even for |
| polluting vehicles off the road. On the face of it, it looks | | | | the most fuel efficient cars the carbon cost for |
| like a no brainer for us in the UK too. | | | | manufacturing would outweigh the benefits gained. |
| Lord Mandelson - the man that's made more | | | | Indeed taking a car off the road after nine years |
| comebacks than Rocky - is apparently in advanced | | | | would appear to be an act of recklessness when it |
| talks to approve a deal that would see £500 | | | | comes to the environment. |
| million earmarked for such a scheme in the UK. If only | | | | Philip Gomm of the RAC Foundation has been quoted |
| he knew we only really make other peoples cars. The | | | | as saying "Research shows that the optimal trade-in |
| majority of our car industry went to the wall years | | | | age, from an environmental perspective, is about 18 |
| ago. Sad as the figures are, the fact is that 78 percent | | | | years. We would not want to see any old vehicle |
| of the cars produced in Britain are exported and 86 | | | | being scrapped, irrespective of age, without fully |
| percent of cars bought in Britain have been imported. | | | | assessing the carbon emission implications of building a |
| As Scrappage schemes in other countries have | | | | new one". Scrappage may be the way to get some |
| shown, almost all drivers taking part would spend their | | | | of the worst polluting vehicles off the road but it is by |
| £2,000 grant on small, highly fuel-efficient cars, | | | | no means a "one size fits all" solution. It would be |
| cars that just aren't produced in the UK. In fact the only | | | | ridiculous if you could scrap your nine year old Citroen |
| cars that fall into this category are the MINI and the | | | | Saxo to get £2000 off a five litre Volkswagen |
| Nissan Micra, which in total make up four percent of | | | | Touareg. |
| the UK market. Meaning 96 percent would go towards | | | | Yes the automotive industry is in favour and if the polls |
| subsidising factories on foreign soil. In Germany sixty | | | | are to be believed so is the UK public, but if you ask |
| five percent of the vehicles bought in their Scrappage | | | | someone whether they would like £2000 off a |
| scheme are produced in German Factories. This is | | | | new car their answer will no doubt be yes - even if |
| closely replicated in France, with sixty two percent of | | | | they can't afford one. |
| vehicles being produced in French factories. | | | | |