LONDON: Britain will cut the incentives available to those buying plug-in hybrid vehicles as it focuses on pure electric models, sparking anger from an industry trade body as carmakers already face declining sales in Europe’s second-biggest autos market.
Buyers of vehicles which emit less than 50 grams/km of CO2 and have a zero-emission range of at least 70 miles will see the grant they are eligible for reduced by 22 per cent to £3,500 ($4,630).
Those purchasing cars emitting up to 75 grams/km of CO2 but with a lower zero-emission range will no longer be eligible for such support under plans due to come into force next month. “With plug-in hybrid models like the Mitsubishi Outlander becoming popular among consumers the government is focussing its attention to zero emission models such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3,” the government said in a statement. Hybrid vehicles have both a combustion and electric engine. The announcement comes just over two weeks before finance minister Philip Hammond is due to make his annual budget statement. — Reuters
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