|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Germany ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: Euro , Government/Legal Germany recently began a scrapping incentive program that gives buyers €2,500 to get rid of their old cars and buy new ones. The plan helped create a 21% jump in car sales during the month of February, even though the plan didn't take effect until February 20. It was the kind of success that has both the UK and the U.S. mulling over such a program, and has Germany considering doubling the incentive plan by adding another €1.5 billion of government money. The German government hasn't confirmed extending the scrapping program, and there is no word on how much of the initial €1.5 billion in incentive money remains. It has been reported, though, that many in the government are for the extension, and that the government will meet after Easter to discuss. Doing so would also allow everyone to see how the program affected March's full-month sales. Thanks for the tip, Gregg! [Source: The Local | Photo by creat1on | CC2.0] Germany may...
|
-
|
Filed under: Euro , Government/Legal , GM , Earnings/Financials , Opel Opel, General Motors' Deutsch subsidiary, may have hit a snag in its bid for government assistance from the German government. According to Automotive News, Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck says of the proposal as it currently stands: "is not a workable basis for a decision." Steinbrueck said that Germany is willing to offer assistance to its domestic automakers, "But we can't make decisions that are irresponsible on a completely inadequate basis." So, where does that leave Opel? It's likely that negotiations between the automaker and the German government will continue, possibly for weeks as each and every detail is hashed out. In the current proposal, GM has asked Germany to provide up to 3.3 billion euros ($4.15 billion) in assistance, which, if approved, could come in the form of loan guarantees. An interesting side point to all of this that has recently emerged is that Opel had given...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Euro , Government/Legal Countries looking to shore up their lagging auto sales now have a shining example to follow in Germany, Europe's largest market for new car sales. In February, sales rose by 21%, which is an astounding figure when you look at the results for the same period in other countries, including the United States , as the weak global economy puts a stranglehold on consumer pocketbooks. What's the secret? Germany has recently instituted a new set of incentives that pays motorists €2,500 to scrap their old car in exchange for a new, more fuel efficient model. Domestic manufacturers reaped the largest rewards, posting a 63% gain in February orders. Could such a system work in the United States? It's possible, but the costs of such a stimulus would be huge and there are a number of organizations vehemently opposed to the idea that it's a good practice to remove older machines from the roadways. Still, it's a thought that could...
|
-
|
Filed under: Etc. , Euro French youth like to burn cars on New Year's - and they don't mind lighting a few the rest of the year, either. German youths apparently really get their "arson on" when the economy takes a dip, as it happens to be doing right now. According to Bloomberg, at least 29 luxury vehicles have gone up in flames in Berlin so far this year, instigated by "'youths across Europe who 'perceive their future as rather precarious'." The torchings in Berlin have been centered on the nicer, gentrified areas of town like Prenzlauer Berg, where some residents feel they are being squeezed out to make room for the moneyed. There is even a group called BMW that is claiming responsibility for some of the fires, but this time the acronym stands for the Movement for Militant Resistance ( auf Deutsch, naturlich ). If cars are going up in smoke so quickly right now, perhaps the real question is: What will the disgruntled turn to next when things get...
|
-
|
Filed under: Gadgets , Green , Safety , Tech The Tire Technology of the Year award, handed out at the Tire Technology Expo in Hamburg, Germany, has been awarded to the creators of the Self-Inflating Tire at Coda Development. While "self-inflating" tires aren't new to the market (especially in the commercial industry), nearly all of the existing systems utilize compressed air to inflate or maintain tire pressure. This requires a compressor or reservoir tank to feed air to the tires. Coda's "SIT" system uses a peristaltic pump built directly into the tire that uses the spinning wheel to force air through a liquid-filled tube to maintain pressure at a set level. Designed to aid fuel economy and improve safety, the SIT system claims to maintain a constant inflation pressure over the lifetime of the tire. Simple, lightweight, inexpensive, and not requiring any power source, we liked the idea last year . Twelve months later, and now with an award under its belt, we...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Government/Legal In light of the automaker benefits and car buyer assistance in the recently-passed stimulus package, analysts at R. L. Polk & Co. estimate there will be an average rebate of $330 for every vehicle sold this year. By allowing buyers to deduct the sales tax from a new vehicle purchase from their income taxes, Polks sees a sales increase of 94,000 units this year. By contrast, the rebate provision in the original stimulus bill allowed buyers to deduct the interest on their car loans from their income taxes, in addition to the sales tax. Polk predicted the average rebate in that case would have been $1,250, and the U.S. light vehicle unit sales would increase by 359,000 units this year. That would still only be a tiny bump in national volume when compared to Hyundai's gains due to its Hyundai Assurance Program : the Korean marque saw January sales rise by 14%, compared to a 37% drop suffered by the industry overall. And commenting on Germany's...
|
-
|
Filed under: Motorsports , Etc. , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Porsche Click above for a high-res image tour of the new Porsche Museum The new monochromatic steel structure at Porscheplatz is designed to be a symbolic icon of the "Porsche Idea" presented, in all its complexity, inside. More than three decades after the original Porsche Museum opened in Stuttgart, Germany, the family-owned automaker invested more than $130 million in an all-new facility to present the storied history of the marque. The new museum is designed to welcome more than 200,000 visitors each year. In addition to the 80 historic vehicles on rolling display, the inspiring building houses a workshop for restoration, historical archives and generous conference areas. We were invited to a special preview of the new Porsche Museum just days before the doors officially opened last week. Follow us inside for a tour after the jump. Gallery: Porsche Museum in Stuttgart All photos Copyright (C) 2009 Michael C. Harley...
|
-
|
Filed under: Euro , Government/Legal , Green European car ads are always mentioning how many grams of CO2 a car emits because more than twelve European countries tax drivers based on those emissions. Germany, home to a cadre of automakers for which CO2 parsimony is not a prime consideration, has held out from the carbon dioxide taxation scheme, until now. The leading government coalition has finally agreed on a plan to tax CO2 output. The only problem is that it doesn't really change much of the scheme already in place, and it's hit-and-miss. This, naturally, has Germany's environmental parties calling foul, yet the nation's domestic producers like VW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW initially gotten the government to consider lowering the taxes on gas guzzlers. In that light, the new taxation proposal could be seen as a victory, albeit a small one. As it stands, the yearly tax will be calculated based on engine size and emissions, and smaller-engined, cleaner vehicles...
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|