VW offers trade-in bonus

The scrappage bonuses Volkswagen (VW) announced on Tuesday would range from 2,000 euros for the "up" mini car to 10,000 euros for the "Touareg" full-size luxury crossover SUV.

For VW's popular "Golf" model, owners would get 5,000 euros, while the trade-in bonus for bigger Sharan and Passat sedans would be 8,000 euros.  

On top of these rebates, buyers of lower-emission VW cars could receive a "future bonus" of between 1,000 euros and 2,380 euros when they opt for an electric, hybrid or natural gas-powered vehicle, the Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker said.

All owners of diesel cars designed to meet emission standards Euro 4 and lower would be entitled to the rebates, VW added, regardless of the brand they owned.

"Volkswagen is convinced that clean and efficient diesel technology will remain an indispensable mode of engine technology to meet CO2 emissions targets," said VW's head of distribution, Jürgen Stackmann. "At the same time, we want to actively promote the change to electromobility."

Looming driving bans

The plan called "Environment and Future Program" will run until the end of the year and comes after Germany's main carmakers - VW, BMW and Daimler -  agreed to upgrade 5.3 million diesel vehicles of the Euro 5 and Euro 6 norms to reduce their harmful nitrogene oxide emissions.

The pledge was made at a socalled "diesel summit" held by lawmakers and industry officials in Berlin last week, and at a time when a number of German cities, fed up with heavy levels of air pollution, are contemplating driving bans on diesel vehicles.

Read more: The trouble with disel bans

Responding to the agreement, BMW chairman Harald Krüger already announced a 2,000-euro "environment bonus" for owners of older diesels who trade in their cars. "Future mobility will definitely depend on state-of-the-art diesels as well because environmental protection has several dimensions: one of them is the fight against climate change," he said.

VW subsidiaries Audi and Porsche have also announced trade-in bonuses, as well as the carmaker's light trucks division. Other brands in the VW group are expected to make similar announcement soon.

The programs are expected to provide a massive sales boost German carmakers. According to latest figures by the country's Transportation Safety Agency, KBA, an estimated 6.4 million old diesel cars are still registered in Germany.

uhe/kd (Reuters, dpa, AFP)