Romania Scrapped Over 20,200 Old Cars In Two Weeks Under 2010 Clunkers Program

Gheorghe Popescu, head of the Environment Fund Administration (AFM), on Thursday said this year’s edition of the clunkers program has got off on the right foot and rejoices huge success compared with last year’s edition when 32,327 cars older than ten years were scrapped.

Asked to comment on the big gap between the number of cars scrapped and the number of new cars purchased under the clunkers program, Popescu said there could be the issue of technicalities regarding new car purchases, or, simply, a trading market of vouchers, but declined to enlarge upon the issue.

„It all goes down to supply and demand. AFM is not interested in the actual fate of these vouchers and new car purchases are not its main target. It is only interested in getting rid of old polluting cars,” said Popescu.

Popescu stressed that each and every holder of a voucher is free to do with it whatever they want, namely, to use it to buy a new car or sell it.

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc on Tuesday said the government has enough financial resources to scrap at least 60,000 old cars in 2010, adding it will earmark extra funds for the 2010 clunkers program.

Romanian Environment Minister Borbely Laszlo has recently said he wants to extend the local clunkers program to include local authorities and institutions, adding he hopes to get the government to drop the ban on new purchases of vehicles applied to public institutions.

Romania’s 2010 clunkers program set off on February 18 after the Government relaunched the campaign for the scrapping of old cars. The new and improved program sets one owner can scrap multiple cars and receive multiple vouchers.

Romania has assigned a total 228 million lei (EUR1=RON4.0929) for the clunkers program in 2010.