• Ecological transition.The PSOE rectifies in the afternoon the morning plan to ban the sale of diesel or gasoline cars from 2040
  • Controversy. September 3: the PSOE reverses with diesel ... every year

The sale of passenger cars in Spain fell 9.2% until August with a total of 883,649 units sold in 2019. A decline greater than in the surrounding countries, because in France so far this year, enrollments recede 3% to 1.46 million; and in Italy they lose 3.02% to 1.32 million deliveries.

The noise generated by the Socialist Government since the motion of censure on June 1, 2018 has led to the lace on diesel. Since Sanchez took the reins of the Executive, the market share of diesel sales has fallen from 35% to 27%. It all started on July 13, 2018 when Teresa Ribera, Minister of Ecological Transition said in the Congress of Deputies: "Diesel has the days numbered." Ribera later clarified his words and has even come to say that he would never have thought that a phrase of his had such an impact.

Diesel Tax

To continue the battle against diesel, Pedro Sánchez announced on August 9, 2018 that the diesel tax would be raised. The Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, explained that with the elimination of the diesel tax subsidy it would be taxed just like gasoline and the public coffers would raise 2,100 million . Then, it was necessary to break down and explain this measure because at first it was not said how much, nor if it would affect the transport sector. That is, the Government launched the probe balloon and wait.

That expression «probe balloon» was used on September 3, 2018 by the Minister of Industry, Reyes Maroto, in Santander, in an economic forum organized by Aemetic, the employer of the technology industry in Spain. "There is much talk about the diesel tax but the government has not even announced it," Maroto said that day, despite the fact that President Sánchez had guaranteed a fee in that regard shortly before, in a radio interview, Eduardo Fernández reports .

This Wednesday, a year later, once again, a proposal from the PSOE that affected the automotive sector received a subsequent correction, fueling the confusion.

Pedro Sánchez presented his package of measures to govern yesterday. The number 256 said: "We will ban from 2040 the sale in Spain of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with direct emissions of carbon dioxide, excluding those registered as historical vehicles, provided they are used for non-commercial uses." This meant a total ban on the sale of new and used cars from that year.

In the afternoon that measure was rectified and this paragraph was included : “In the development of the decarbonization strategy of 2050, we will adopt the necessary measures, in accordance with European regulations, so that new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, excluding those registered as historic vehicles, not intended for commercial uses, gradually reduce their emissions, so that no later than 2040 they are vehicles with emissions of 0g of CO2 / km ».

Interestingly, perhaps that's why the vice president, Carmen Calvo, said Wednesday that the correction was due to "a writing error", because the change is almost identical to the one that appeared in the draft of the National Energy and Climate Plan sent by the Government in February to the European Commission. Only the first date varies in the paragraph , since in the Energy and Climate Plan it says 2040 and not 2050.

The employers of the sector supported the rapid rectification of measure 256 "because it reduces uncertainty for consumers and the sector," according to Mario Armero, executive vice president of Anfac, the employer of automobile manufacturers. He added that "it means returning to the roadmap that is being worked with the Government in the face of an agreement for the Automotive industry and aligned with the European Union."

Aid to the sector

Armero referred to the Comprehensive Automobile Support Strategic Plan presented on March 4 by Minister Reyes Maroto for which the Government planned to allocate 2,634 million aid to the sector between 2019 and 2025.

But the Executive did not carry out the General State Budgets (PGE), which brought with it the call for elections. A fact that also truncated the approval of the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition. Its preliminary draft included a public support for electric mobility with 1,000 million, at a rate of 200 per year from 2020 to 2025. Today, and with the second extension of the PGE of Cristóbal Montoro of 2017, these grants are 50 million per year.

Hence, the sector advocates a long-term plan that requires a crushing of older vehicles and an orderly transition to decarbonization. "The logical thing is that a man with a 15-year-old diesel car buys a new diesel and, later, an electrified vehicle," explains Polo Satrústegui, CEO of Hyundai. Because “with an environmental strategy based on the ban, the purchase decision is delayed and the age of the park increases,” according to Ana Sánchez, of the Ganvam vendors association.

While from Faconauto, the dealers association, Marta Blázquez, its vice president, called for a government to be formed "as soon as possible" to eliminate more confusion. Without forgetting an important nuance as José Portilla, director of Sernauto, the employer of the auxiliary automotive industry said: «It is positive that it has been rectified, since the initial text contradicted what was worked with the Ministry of Industry and, in addition, was contrary to what is stipulated by the EU ».

However, the sector expects sales to improve in the last four months of the year, so the annual fall would be 4%.

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Know more

  • State's general budgets
  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Spain
  • Reyes Maroto
  • Industry
  • European Union
  • Teresa Ribera
  • Carmen Calvo
  • European Comission
  • Congress of Deputies
  • Christopher Montoro
  • PSOE
  • France
  • Hyundai
  • Italy
  • Maria Jesus Montero
  • Diesel
  • Motor industry

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