Sure, this US-version of the "Abwrackprämie" will be the ultimative sentence of death for your beloved Crown Vic's, for the Lincoln Town Car's, the Caprice's and so on.

I think, there is a big question: the US-people shall wreck their old cars, vans and trucks with high (for European and Asian eyes extreme high) fuel consumption and shall buy modern cars, with a lower consumption.
Correctly said: they shall buy US-made cars to save the US-car-industry from the collapse.
At best they shall buy a combination, an US-made car with modern technology and low fuel consumption. Here you have the big question: what models they shall buy???


BTW: I am using the -at least usual- term "Abwrackprämie", which means "wrecking bonus". The official name, given by the German government is "Umweltprämie", which means "environment bonus". Finally this is just a big lie, because it doesn't help the environment, if you are wrecking thousands of usable cars and produce new cars, which costs very much material and energy.
It's nothing more or less than a big subvention for the car-industry. It would be honestly to say this.

Until today about 1.2 million (!) Germans have written the application for it. The government has thrown more money in the big pot for it.
Several people are asking "What will happen later on?" Then surely the whole car-business will collapsing. And not only the car-business.

All the people, who wanted to have a new car, have bought one. What shall the dealers sell afterward? A plenty of garages, used car- and spare-part-dealers have problems today, because their customers have no old cars any more, where they had made money with.

Several people are greedy and see only "Aaah, 2500 € from the government! Let's pick it up!", so they will spend money, which at least the don't have. Without this "wrecking bonus" they would never have bought a new car. Finally several will slippering into a private insolvency.

And other businesses are complaining, that so many money is spent only for cars, money which is missing for the other consumption.

And, as we have said before: this system don't really help the German car-brands. The only German made cars, which selling is increasing, are the Opel Corsa and the Ford Fiesta. Other small cars were made somewhere else, bigger cars, even smaller ones like the Mercedes A-Klasse or the Audi A4, don't play a role for the "Abwrackprämie"

We will see, what will happen. Perhaps I will be involved, too. If my Omega will have a heavy breakdown or a crash, it will not make any econmomical sense to repair it. Then we will wreck it too, and my wife will look for a new car.
Since two weeks I'm in a very great position: I got my home-office, so I don't have to drive any more 130 km per day. Only one time per week I have to go in my former office.
So for my private use my old K 70 would be enough. I don't need an all-day-car any more. A real nice situation!
Unfortunately I have no chance to get money for my Omega (except due the "Abwrackprämie". Noone will pay money for a 10 year old Opel in NATO-olive and with 260 000 km on the clock.