23rd April 2009
Good news for the Motor industry as the Government introduces scrappage scheme
Richard Mason, managing director at Motoring.co.uk, provides his tips for consumers following the announcement of the UK scrappage scheme: “This scheme is the shot in the arm the industry needs to boost new car sales. With a limited budget and a deadline of March 2010 to claim, and recognition of the fact that some desirable cars have a waiting list of up to nine months, now is the time to act to take advantage of this attractive offer.
“With half a million jobs in jeopardy, the Government is sending out a clear message that it is serious about helping our ailing motor industry, preventing mass unemployment and dragging the UK motoring industry out of the doldrums.
Mason continues: “The limited time period will focus the minds of consumers forcing them to act now if they want to capitalise on the scheme. If the Government is planning on investing £300m into this scheme, matched by the industry, only 300,000 cars will be eligible to claim an incentive – the same number that Germany has already reached, having launched its equivalent scheme in January 2009*. This would suggest that we have around 4 to 5 months before the budget is exhausted. Customers can act now by checking if their car is eligible online, at Motoring.co.uk’s scrappage scheme Eligibility Checker.”
Notes to editors:
* The anticipated scrappage scheme is designed to encourage new car sales and get the UK car market moving again. Scrappage schemes are currently operating in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain, typically on cars over 10 years old. Germany has seen a soar in car sales of 21 per cent in the last month alone as a result of the scheme**.
**Scrappage scheme caused an increase in sales by 21 per cent in Germany in February: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/03/05/german-car-sales-rise-21-percent-uk-to-launch-vehicle-scrappage/
Scrappage scheme caused an increased in new car sales of 40 per cent in Germany in March
For further details please contact:
Kitty Parry Kitty@templarspr.com
07736318413
Sian Worthington
sian.worthington@moneyextra.co.uk
01616389815
Jennifer Rose
Jennifer.rose@moneyextra.co.uk
07523 582661
About motoring.co.uk
Motoring.co.uk is one of the UK's leading motoring websites and offers one of the fastest and most convenient ways to buy or sell a car online. Providing its customers with access to over 300,000 new and used cars at any one time, its wide-ranging service encompasses all aspects of buying, selling, hiring, financing and insuring a car. Motoring.co.uk provides users with a more personalised experience compared to other motoring websites, by offering the ability to narrow search results by a variety of factors including lifestyle, green rating, insurance group and finance offers. And because they refuse to feature advertising from new car brokers on the site, customers can be confident of a safe and secure transaction by dealing with approved franchised dealers only. In addition, customers can also benefit from free advice, research new cars, read reviews, converse with like-minded individuals and generally experience the advantages of becoming a motoring.co.uk member