Before the car summit: SPD group calls for scrapping bonus of 6000 euros

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In order to stimulate the market for electric cars, the SPD parliamentary group is calling for a scrapping bonus of up to 6,000 euros for all consumers who switch from a combustion engine to an electric car.

Anyone who “scraps” their combustion engine will receive a bonus of 6,000 euros if they buy a new car at the same time, and 3,000 euros for buying a used car. “We are convinced that electric cars are the future,” says a package of measures by the SPD economic politicians (AG Wirtschaft), which is aimed at the auto summit of Robert Habeck (Greens) on Monday.

The domestic automotive industry is “in crisis,” says the paper, which was submitted to the star “In order to lead them through the current low and to ensure that German automobiles can maintain and even expand their strong position in the future market, decisive action is now required.” The temporary package of measures is intended to boost demand for electric cars in the coming years and thus also strengthen the collectively agreed and co-determined jobs in the industry. The fact that we have to spend money should not be an obstacle to this.”

SPD man Roloff: The auto summit must send a clear signal

In addition to the scrappage premium, the Social Democrats are calling for seven other measures to immediately strengthen the car industry. For example, a “social leasing program” based on the French model is to be introduced to give people with low and medium incomes a state supplement to the leasing premium. The paper also provides for targeted support for wall boxes, storage units and charging stations. “This is about the future of our core industry,” warn the authors.

“The auto summit must send a clear signal that companies and politicians will overcome the current crisis together,” said Sebastian Roloff, member of the SPD party executive and member of the Bundestag’s Economic Affairs Committee, to the star“We need to create the right political framework for this,” demands Roloff, highlighting, for example, the “scrappage bonus 2.0”, better depreciation conditions for leased electric vehicles and increased investment in charging infrastructure. Roloff was the lead author of the action paper with Bernd Westphal, the economic policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group.

Verena Hubertz, deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group, urges rapid action. “VW and the automotive industry are the engine of Germany. If the engine stutters, we have to get it going,” the economic politician told star. That means implementing the measures from the traffic light growth package “quickly”, “especially the booster in electromobility.” Economic policy is also a social issue, it is about tens of thousands of industrial jobs across the country. Fighting for this is “the SPD’s DNA”, said Hubertz.

The initiatives are also an expression of the growing nervousness with which the Chancellor’s party views the economic situation. With these proposals, the Social Democrats are also putting pressure on their own Chancellor. The SPD is criticizing Olaf Scholz for not showing enough determination to counteract the looming recession and the misery in the car industry. There is also irritation that Scholz did not invite people to an automobile summit in the Chancellery himself, but left the summit to Habeck.