Car Throttle

Like it or not, the "Cash for Clunkers" legislation is being rammed through Congress, and word came today that the U.S House of Representatives has passed the bill 298-119. The bill passed would offer up to $4,500 maximum for your "clunker". Here are the exact requirements to even be considered as eligible for the program: the vehicle must be less then 25 years old (MY 1984), insured in the last year and there is no trade in value outside of the voucher ($4,500 is all you're getting). Pretty restrictive. In terms of how much for what,  if the vehicle being traded in gets 18 mpg or less and you trade in for a new vehicle getting 22 mpg, you receive $3,500 voucher. If the mileage is 10 mpg higher (28

"Cash for Clunkers" continues to wind it's way through Congress, with the latest news coming of a compromise between the U.S House of Representatives and the Obama administration. Some of the last news we heard was around April 26th, when news of an agreement being hammered out between the two competing bills in Congress. The two sides, one led by  Rep. Betty Sutton’s (D-Ohio) HR. 1550 with her Customer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act and the other Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) with his HR. 520, The Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act of 2009 were supposedly "90 percent" of the way to a compromise. The new compromise garners the backing of Michigan's representatives and other automakers that might have worked to block it's passage. Under the compromise bill,

I've been covering the whole "Cash for Clunkers" program as it began to take form in the United States and more recently as the U.K implemented a revised version of the plan. Now it seems the two representatives that created the two competing bills in the House might be nearing a compromise.

The two bills being discussed were Rep. Betty Sutton's (D-Ohio) HR. 1550, the Customer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) Act. The other is HR. 520, The Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act of 2009 introduced by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY). The two sides have some key differences in their bills. Rep. Sutton's bill gives the largest subsidies to American made vehicles, smaller subsidies to North American vehicles and nothing for foreign made vehicles. Rep. Israel's bill is

There you have it! After considering it for quite some time, the United Kingdom has announced it's own version of the much vaunted (and debated...and reviled) "Cash for Clunkers" vehicle sales program.    The United Kingdom's plan is quite unlike it's forebears, there is some key differences in substance and implementation. First off, the amount of subsidy is much less then the other plans. £2,000 (around $2,900 USD) is the amount finance minister Alistair Darling has put forth in his budget.  Here's where things interesting too; UK government is only putting up £1,000 of the money, the rest is coming from the automakers. Obviously the auto companies were hoping for a full government subsidy, but with the current state of the UK economy (and indeed all economies) and a large looming

"Cash for Clunkers" is a term that's been bandied about a whole lot lately, in the automotive world and in halls of Washington, D.C. I'm sure you've heard of the program; it's been introduced in several European countries to great effect. Seeing this success has prompted the U.S government to consider a "Cash for Clunkers" program of our own. It's an idea that has merit, and is gaining serious traction. Embattled Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan has voiced support for the program, saying to the Detroit Free Press: “There has to be a strong statement of support to buy American, buy the cars that we are producing in this country.” Her support of the plan includes the incentives applying only to U.S made vehicles, obviously something that the foreign manufacturers are opposed