Carmaker Ford has become the latest to offer a discount on new models for drivers who scrap their old polluting vehicles.
Any car or van, from any manufacturer, registered before 31 December, 2009, is eligible for a typical £2,000 discount under the scheme, which runs to the end of the year.
It comes amid evidence of falling new car sales, with industry data showing new registrations down 9% in July compared to the same month last year and 2% lower for the year to date.
Ford’s sales volumes were nearly 24% lower last month and 4% down for the January-July period, according to the recent figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Under the new scheme, incentives are available on a variety of Ford models, with customers typically getting £2,000 off cars priced up to £20,000.
Rival car maker Vauxhall ran a similar scheme earlier this year.
The Government last month announced proposals to introduce a “targeted scrappage scheme” as part of its court-mandated plans for meeting legal European Union limits on harmful nitrogen dioxide pollution.
It would be focused on drivers who need most support, such as those on lower incomes or living next to a clean air zone.
Ministers also plan to ban the sale of all conventional diesel and petrol cars by 2040.
Ford of Britain chairman and managing director Andy Barratt said: “Removing generations of the most polluting vehicles will have the most immediate positive effect on air quality, and this Ford scrappage scheme aims to do just that.”
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said it was a “shrewd commercial move by a company that has invested heavily in petrol and diesel technology”.
Source: Sky