Will the car manufacturers now step in?
Without warning, the German government has withdrawn the state bonus for the purchase of an electric car earlier than planned. The outrage in the industry is huge. Some car manufacturers are therefore planning to maintain the financial support, at least for a transitional period.
After the sudden end of the purchase premium for electric cars, customers are now left out in the cold. The industry is protesting and complaining about a loss of trust in politics. The industry expects a slower increase in sales figures for electric cars.
It was only on Saturday that the Federal Ministry of Economics announced that applications for the environmental bonus could only be submitted on the following Sunday. The abrupt end was justified in ministry circles by the fact that money had become scarce in the budget. The background to this is the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on the federal debt brake. As part of their austerity program, the coalition leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed a few days ago to phase out state funding "in the near future". They initially left the end date open.
Before the federal government had to correct its budget planning, it was planned to grant a purchase premium of up to 4500 euros for new cars until the end of the year. In addition, the manufacturers were to receive half of the bonus, i.e. up to 2250 euros.
On January 1, 2024, the state bonus was to be reduced to 3000 euros and then expire at the end of 2024. Now all of this is no longer applicable. What is particularly problematic is that the bonus is only paid if the vehicle has been registered. The conclusion of a purchase contract is not sufficient. However, there are often several weeks or even months between ordering and delivery.
Ordering a vehicle is always legally binding
The government has promised consumers that it will support them in purchasing an e-car under certain conditions, said Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). "To now deny these people this support because they want to continue to stick to the registration date instead of the purchase date of an e-car undermines consumer confidence in the reliability of politics."
Müller also criticized the fact that setting the deadline for Sunday (17.12.) was disproportionate. "We strongly urge the German government and the Bundestag to find a solution as quickly as possible that guarantees customers the bonus they had planned for when they bought their car." Consumer advocates pointed out that ordering a vehicle is always legally binding.
The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) stated that it is necessary to check in individual cases whether the contract contains other provisions and allows the buyer to withdraw from the contract. This would be the case, for example, if the assumption of the federal share of the e-car subsidy was promised in writing. Some car manufacturers are planning or considering taking over the state purchase premium for a transitional period.
Trust in politics "deeply disappointed"
The Stellantis car group with the brands Peugeot, Opel, Fiat, Jeep and others wants to do this. The company has announced that it will guarantee the full premium of up to 6750 euros for electric vehicles that were eligible for subsidies under the previous guidelines until the end of the year. In addition, Stellantis intends to accept the originally planned reduced premium of up to 4500 euros for e-vehicles already ordered and registered by their owners by February 29, 2024. Korean manufacturer Hyundai is still guaranteeing its e-car customers who have signed a contract by December 17 the full environmental bonus from 2023.
The car manufacturer Audi criticized that the traffic lights had broken their promise to customers with the immediate end of the environmental bonus. Trust in the policy had been "deeply disappointed". Customers were now canceling e-vehicles they had already ordered. "In the upcoming budget negotiations, we expect a clear commitment to promoting electric mobility and a concession from politicians for affected customers," Audi announced.
Volkswagen spoke of a "deep loss of trust", but initially commented on possible higher discounts or goodwill arrangements. BMW expressed "understanding for the tense budgetary situation and the resulting decisions of the federal government. In the long term, new technologies must support themselves on the market."
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The Association of the Automotive Industry, representing brands like Volkswagen and Audi, is expressing concern over the loss of consumer trust due to the sudden end of electric car subsidies. In an effort to mitigate this, Stellantis has announced it will continue to cover the full electric vehicle purchase premium for eligible vehicles until the end of the year.
Despite the government's decision, several car manufacturers, including Audi, are considering offering higher discounts or goodwill arrangements to affected customers, demonstrating their commitment to supporting electric car sales.
Source: www.ntv.de
