Car incentives running out, funds remain only for hybrid and electric- Corriere.it

On 12 April 2021 the situation of the funds allocated to incentives for the scrapping of decennial vehicles this (source, ecobonus.mise.gov.it): there are still 243,470,500 euros for those who buy a car (by delivering an old one to be demolished) with emissions ranging from 0 to 60 g / km of CO2, in practice electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV). For those who intend to buy a car between 61 and 135 g / km of CO2 (i.e. the other hybrids and conventional low-emission models which are also the most popular models with list prices compared to the expensive electric / electrified) there are 500 euros available! In other words, the incentive season for those who intended to change the car by buying a conventional or hybrid car (full hybrid or mild hybrid) ended two and a half months earlier than established by law.

The news itself is not exceptional because it was already at the end of last year, when the Government allocates the funds for the 2021 car incentive campaign, it was predicted that the funds in the most appetizing range, i.e. the one that collects models with CO2 emissions between 61 and 135 g / km (WLTP homologation) , would not have been sufficient to reach the expiry of the provision (30 June 2021). However, the negative contingency is due to the fact that the incentive system worked, as it had worked in summer 2020 at the time of the first government intervention. In a period of general crisis such as the one we are going through, public support (which has marched hand in hand with private support) has kept a sector, the automotive sector, extremely important for our economy in line. Not only that, but as the actors of this supply chain claim, among the repercussions of government policy, in addition to an increase in road safety, there must also be an improvement in the ecological rate of the Italian fleet: the scrapping of old cars, replaced by new vehicles and significantly less impacting on the environment, has reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

To try to solve the exhaustion of funds, we hope for a rapid refinancingor through the Sostegni-bis provision (foresees a further budget gap, as announced by President Draghi, for something like 40 billion euros) under discussion in Parliament in the coming days. Parliamentary sources assure us that the issue is on the table and that Minister Giorgetti intends to intervene, as far as possible, on the subject. Gianluca Benamanti, deputy chairman of the Chamber’s Committee on Productive Activities, confirmed the commitment of Parliament (and its group) to finding a solution in the near future.

Pressure on the government also from the Italian automobile industry. In particular, Unrae and its president Michele Crisci have taken steps to ensure that the refinancing of the 61-135 g / km of CO2 range is carried out by return of post. The injection of new funds would guarantee the stability of the sector (with all the economic benefits that it entails, including fiscal ones) and that could lead to a growth of the Italian market, according to the projections of some study centers, of around 18% compared to 2020. For the expectations of the Italian automotive world, they do not stop at these urgent but partial measures. As Michele Crisci told us, the long-awaited tax reform is expected from the government which should see the light by the end of this year. Furthermore, it is asked that the problems of the automotive supply chain become a topic of national political debate so that the issue is finally addressed and also resolved in an organic way in its entirety and not only with spot provisions that are good for the contingent, but that do not dissolve the long-standing structural knots.