DA NEUROGREEN...
----- Original Message -----
From: Alex Foti
To: neurogreen@???
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 11:41 AM
Subject: [neurogreen] gli svedesi vogliono tassare i suv: era ora!
In fondo all'articolo, si riporta l'opinione del capo della General Motors, il quale sostiene che" C''è un sacco di lotta di classe in questa questione dei SUV.": you bet! ciao, lx
Sweden gears up for a tax drive against Volvo's SUVs
By Nicholas George, James Mackintosh and Richard Milne
Published: September 1 2004 03:00 | Last updated: September 1 2004 03:00
Sweden is heading for a showdown with its flagship Volvo brand over gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles, as the political backlash against them spreads across Europe.
Stockholm's minority government is being pressed by its Green and Left party partners to levy a tax on drivers of SUVs that could add up to SKr60,000 (£4,400) to the price of Volvo's popular XC90, the country's single biggest export.
The drive comes as authorities in several countries are mulling similar moves. French officials are finalising plans to tax polluting vehicles, particularly SUVs. London's mayor, too, is studying measures to combat SUVs, portraying them as the scourge of the congested city.
But Sweden could be the first country to take on its powerful motor industry on the issue. French carmakers have been relaxed about the taxation plans, as Renault and PSA Peugeot-Citroën specialise in smaller cars, and neither sells an offroader.
Hans-Olov Olsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars, owned by Ford Motor of the US, says plans to add an extra shift at its Gothenburg factory to meet demand for the XC90 would be scrapped if the tax went through. "You can forget the 600 new jobs we are planning," he says. Volvo also estimates the increased production would have created another 1,500 jobs at suppliers.
Peter Eriksson, Green party spokesman, dismisses Volvo's threat as "rubbish". Volvo exports 95 per cent of its offroaders.
However, Mr Olsson's warning has sparked alarm among trade unions in Sweden, making it likely the SUV tax will be fought. Göran Persson, the Social Democratic prime minister, faces rising concern about unemployment, but relies on Green and Left parties for his parliamentary majority.
SUVs have been growing in popularity across Europe, raising the hackles of environmentalists, who worry that the heavier vehicles emit more greenhouse gases, and of consumer groups concerned about the safety of other road users. Ken Livingstone, London's mayor, has called SUV drivers "complete idiots". He says: "These are not cars which people should be using in London."
So far this year, sales of SUVs are up 14 per cent in western Europe, according to analysts at Jato Dynamics. The 515,581 sales mean more than one in 20 cars sold is an offroader. In the US, they form more than a quarter of the car market.
Manufacturers are trying to take advantage of this rising demand by rushing out new models, with Volkswagen, Ford, Opel, Fiat and Audi all planning SUVs in the next two years.
Yet SUV drivers rarely venture off road. The vehicles are nicknamed "Montessori jeeps" in Stockholm's affluent suburbs, as their main purpose is to take children to exclusive nursery schools. Toyota, whose RAV-4 is Europe's offroad market leader, says only about one in five SUV owners drive off road for pleasure at least once a month.
"They meet needs and they meet a fashion desire as well," the company says.
Governments and green groups are concerned that the move towards less fuel-efficient vehicles could hurt plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Studies in the US show the feeling of safety from the SUV seat is often an illusion, as the higher centre of gravity makes them more prone to topple than ordinary cars. Mr Olsson counters there are better ways to cut carbon dioxide emissions, including lower taxes on diesel cars.
France is still deciding whether to introduce a tax on the vehicles, which could be up to ?3,200 (£2,100) on new models. Smaller, cleaner cars could benefit from tax credits of up to ?700 under the proposals, part of an air pollution prevention plan drafted by the environment ministry. The attack on gas-guzzlers has struck a popular note and follows an attempt by the Paris city council to ban them.
But the scheme has run into opposition from some ministers, who fear it could be impractical, and from foreign manufacturers who think it favours the two big French carmakers, Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroën.
The political assault on SUVs in Europe has prompted anger among senior motor industry executives, already worried by what they regard as excessive regulation.
Bob Lutz, vice-chairman of General Motors, the world's biggest carmaker, said earlier this year that government action against SUVs was driven by envy. "I have a great deal of trouble with a government, whether regional, national or local, banning any one type of vehicle," he said. "That begins to smack a little bit of a totalitarian regime. There is a tremendous amount of class struggle tied up in the whole SUV thing."
Additional reporting by Richard Milne in Paris
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