German Auto Association VDA Working Against Diesel Vehicle Ban Plans, Unsurprisingly

The German auto industry association VDA is working, through a plan to reduce the pollution of older diesel cars in use in Germany, against the possible implementation of outright diesel vehicle bans in some cities.

The much discussed plans to possibly selectively ban diesel vehicles in some German cities, whether generally or just during times of high air pollution, are (unsurprisingly) not getting support from the country’s major auto manufacturers.

This is probably mostly due to the effect that the discussion of possible bans is having on diesel vehicles sales figures in Germany. Again, who’s surprised?

The head of VDA, Matthias Wissmann, commented on these goals at a recent news conference in Germany: “I believe that when there is a clear political signal and willingness to act by manufacturers, I believe we can avoid bans.”

Reuters provides more: “The German government last week announced plans to work with automakers and regional governments to find ways to reduce emissions, culminating in a meeting on Aug. 2.

“Wissmann said he expected an agreement would be reached by then on who would cover the costs for updating software of around 3 million older diesel cars to cut their emissions.”

It’ll be interesting to see what the effects of the meeting on August 2nd will be, as regards possible outright bans of diesel vehicles in some German cities. It would probably be a mistake to assume that diesel vehicle bans in Germany are a sure thing at this point, considering how much clout the auto manufacturers in Germany currently wield.