Carmakers are restricting sales of petrol and hybrid cars in the UK to avoid huge net zero fines, according to one of the UK's largest dealer chains. this telegraph There is a story.
Vertu Automotive chief executive Robert Forrester said the manufacturer was delaying vehicle deliveries until next year for fear of violating government quotas for it.
That means people who order a car at some dealerships today won't receive it until February, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Forrest warned that manufacturers and dealers are grappling with a flood of more expensive electric vehicles (EVs) that “cannot easily find homes”.
“In some franchises, the supply of gasoline and hybrid vehicles is limited, and that's actually where the demand is,” he said.
“It's almost like we can't offer the cars that people want, but we have a lot of cars that they probably don't want.
“them [manufacturers] Efforts are being made to avoid fines. As a result, they are limiting our ability to supply petrol vehicles in an effort to meet the government's targets.
The chief executive blamed the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires at least 22% of cars sold by manufacturers to be electric from this year.
The target will rise year by year, to 80% by 2030, with manufacturers having to pay £15,000 for every petrol car that exceeds their quota – unless they have so-called carbon credits to spend.
But the plan prompted stern warnings from major brand bosses such as Vauxhall owner Stellantis and Ford, which said they could not sacrifice profits by selling electric cars at deep discounts indefinitely.
Instead, they have previously warned that they may be forced to limit the supply of petrol cars to artificially boost the performance of their ZEV mandate.
Vertu’s warning is the first confirmation that carmakers are now starting to do just that….
Mr Forrest said: “What the government has effectively done is restricted the new car market, which has had a big impact on their VAT revenue and created a business environment in the UK where manufacturers may question whether they want to produce here. car.
“Carlos Tavares [chief executive of Stellantis] Some people say, why should they sell cars at a loss because of the British government's policies?
“Unfortunately, the new car market is no longer a market. It's a state-imposed supply chain.
