As to be expected:
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,652716,00.html

Since the Abwrackprämie was dropped out, the selling of cars in Germany was broken down on 50%. Similar in the USA, where the "cash for clunkers"-bonus has ended, too.

So today the car-companies and -dealers have the same problems as before again.

A Youtube about cars, which were actually crushed over her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9sZ4GF9_oM

@taxiguy: the same, as you wrote, we have thought in Germany, too. It was the opinion of the majority. But what had happened shortly later? It was a real hype, sometimes the people were getting hysterical about that. They only have seen, that they can get 2500 € from the government.
So until now 1.2 million (or even 1.4 million?) cars were wrecked about this "Abwrackprämie".
The most inscription-forms were written and sent to the authority, so the paperwork is getting less, but still you can see a plenty old old cars, delivered to the dealers for wrecking.

A friend from the K 70-club, who works at a VW-dealer, has told me, that at the beginning of this offer, they had a real line-up with dozens of cars up on the street to their shop. The customers were really mad, not to be too late. They had to organize a coffee-bar and have given out numbers to have a system for the organization.

But he has said, that there was no reason to be sad or mad as an old-car-fan, they didn't get any real classic for wrecking. Some really good Golf II or Audi 80 from the 80ies, too good for wrecking, but not real oldtimers.


Here the actual clip of Volkswagen:
http://www.horizont.net/kreation/tv/pages/protected/show.php?id=2546
The Golf II-fans are a bit pissed about it.

Oh, and I just have found a new pic of this campaign:
http://www.onetoone.de/homepage/VW_Abschied_nehmen_lohnt_sich_16022.html
A girl with a Daewoo Nexia. She wrote "Machs gut, Alter" - "So long, Oldie" with lipstick on the front screen.

It won't work as well as they want it to no doubt. Only a few people are actually going to do it. It is really only good for people on the fence about getting a new car, it won't sway people who hadn't even thought about buying new. Even with the voucher people will still have to come up with 10-20k dollars, and no one has that to spend (and certainly not the kind of people being targeted). It is rather stupid and will likely be a huge flop like in a couple of other places that have tried it.

If they were giving away 4,500 dollars CASH instead of a new car voucher, than it would be a completely different story. But of course they're not doing that...

They originally wanted to get 500,000 cars, but many are saying they will struggle to get even 200,000 because the law is so restricted. Just pointless and stupid is what it is.

As I just read in the news, the "cash for clunkers"-law, as it's called in the USA, has passed the Congress. 250 000 cars shall be wrecked now.


I've learned a new word: clunkers. Funny, that we use it in German, too, but with annother meaning - a flippant term for diamonds and jewlery.

indeed my garage is 4.4m long, too short for a XM
XM found for cheap are common. It is sad but lots are wrecked like that in France

I don't think he can buy an XM, as he said previously it won't fit in his garage. (hard to belive yes, as his garge would have to be the size of a bathroom to not fit a little 185 inch long XM)

@Antoine: today I've seen in the backyard of our local Fiat/Alfa/Lancia-dealer, where the "Abwrackprämie"-cars are stored, a Citroen XM. It's dark red and has a "V6"-sign on the front fender.

Are you interested? You wrote, that you would like to have a XM.

Yes, I know, that it's not legally to buy and register it again - but here in Germany. As I know, you can make half-legal tricks to export these cars, dedicated for the shredder.
The owner of the Fiat-garage is a nice guy, perhaps I can arrange something for you.
You only must see, how to register it again in Belgium without papers. I guess, it should be possible anyhow (at least make something with the FIN-no... )

@Gag: better don't think, that the public opinion will stay like this.

At the start of the German Abwrackprämie there were also several articles like this, even full net-blogs of people with this opinion.

But what had happen, when it was running? A kind of national hystery!
Noone had expected that.

Thousands of people have lost their rationality. They only see "2500 € from the government! I want to have it know!"
So this is the reason, why a lot of cars were scrapped, which have a higher value than 2500 €. And many people, which normally cannot afford money for a new car, are having now high credits just for this reason (and a lot of them will not be able to pay all the debts back).

So just wait, until this British scrappage-regulation will be released. You will be wondering, how crazy the people will react.

There's an article in today's Guardian arguing that the British scrappage scheme won't be popular: