Three car makers announce scrappage schemes

Three car manufacturers have announced scrappage schemes aimed at encouraging drivers to trade-in older vehicles in favour of newer ‘cleaner’ models.

Volkswagen, Kia and Toyota have all announced scrappage incentives within the last week, following on from the announcement of a similar scheme by Ford last month (see airqualitynews.com story).

(l-r) Volkswagen, Kia and Toyota have all announced scrappage schemes for UK motorists

Volkswagen’s scrappage scheme will offer drivers between £1,800 and £6,000 to trade in any Euro 1-4 diesel vehicle registered in the UK prior to January 2010, which can be redeemed against the purchase of a Euro 6 petrol or diesel vehicle or a plug-in hybrid or electric car.

The scheme applies across all of the VW UK brands including Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Kia

This came as Kia Motors announced its own scrappage scheme on Friday (1 September), which will offer motorists up to £2,000 for vehicles over seven years old. The incentive can be used to aid the purchase of the car-maker’s new Picanto or Rio models.

Kia’s President and Chief executive Paul Philpott said: “A number of scrappage schemes — many applying only to bigger models with higher emission levels – have been launched recently, but the Kia seven year switch scrappage scheme is simple and easy to understand. It applies to all versions of the low-emission Picanto and Rio ranges and is guaranteed as long as the buyer of the new car is also the owner of the car being scrapped.

“Both our small cars, Picanto and Rio, have dramatically improved emission levels compared to the previous models — by as much as 73 grammes per kilometre so owners of cars over seven years old can get the latest safety equipment, technology and comfort as well as helping reduce emissions generally and saving themselves a good amount of money in the process.”

Toyota

Toyota also announced the launch of its scheme on Friday, which offers a saving of between £1,000 and £3,500 for the purchase of new models, which includes hybrid models.

The Toyota scrappage scheme is open to vehicles more than seven years old, registered to the current owner for at least six months.

Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota GB President and Managing Director, said: “Our scrappage scheme is a win-win solution. Motorists can dispose of their older vehicles and have access to our cleaner, more efficient model range.

“Our world-leading petrol-electric hybrids will be an ideal choice, helping make a genuine contribution to protecting air quality — a crucial concern for today’s customers.

“What’s more, everyone who takes up our scrappage scheme can be assured their vehicle will be disposed of in an environmentally responsible fashion that maximises recycling opportunities.”

All vehicles taken off the road through the Toyota scrappage scheme will be processed at authorised treatment facilities managed by Autogreen. After the removal of all pollutants and the recovery of retrievable parts, shredding and recovery will be handled by the metal recycler EMR.