Cars on German roads are older than they’ve ever been as consumers balk at replacing aging models with new ones amid Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis.
Cars are 8.7 years old on average, a new high and a full year older than the pre-crisis level in 2007, the VDA, Germany’s auto industry association, said.
Delays agreement that would have seen emission caps of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre. Photo credit: Alexandra Beier /Reuters
Germany won a delay on a deal to introduce a tougher CO2 emissions target for Europe’s new-car fleet in 2020, environmental campaigners said.
The European Union agreed on a compromise deal to enforce stricter rules on carbon dioxide emissions for all new EU automobiles from 2020.
The European Commission’s proposal would reduce average fleet CO2 to 95g/km by 2020.
Senior members of the German government have warned EU member states that Germany’s automakers could scale back or scrap production plans in their countries unless they support weakened carbon emissions rules, according to diplomatic sources.
