Environmental premium extended to motor caravans

Nearly 300 motor caravan purchasers have received the environmental premium thus far. This welcome news for the leisure vehicle industry was conveyed in an interim report issued at year’s end by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, which is in charge of the environmental premium program.

In light of the CIVD’s successful efforts in early 2009 to have the application domain of the environmental premium program extended to include motor caravans, the news concerning the premiums awarded to the motor caravan purchasers was extremely gratifying. As at 3 November 2009, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control had approved nearly 300 subsidy applications in connection with the purchase of new motor caravans, with the result that the purchasers of 232 new and 62 nearly new motor caravans have each received a 2,500 euro subsidy. This in turn means that approximately 750,000 euros in subsidies been awarded under the program thus far. The Federal Office of Economics and Export Control also reported that 98 motor caravans have been scrapped under the environmental premium program. However, the so called “cross-recycling”[1] feature of the program unfortunately does not allow for a determination as to how many of these 98 motor caravans directly translated into the purchase of a new motor caravan or car. Nonetheless, it appears that the purchase of at least 200 new motor caravans was financed by scrapping a car under the program.