This weekend saw the end of new Euro 3 trucks, unless you are able to buy one under the derogation system. If you want a new vehicle now it has to be Euro 4 and you will have to choose between EGR and SCR.
It has turned into a bizarre year. First everyone tried to buy trucks with analogue tachographs before the end of April deadline. That resulted in hundreds more vehicles being registered than normal.
Now we have another sales peak with the end of the production of Euro 3 engines. There must be an easier and less disruptive way of introducing new legislation. It cannot be good for anyone to have these huge swings in sales - from boom to famine. I just wish that I could think of a better way of organising it. Any ideas?
Incidentally it became even more crazy when the Government realised that the derogation scheme it had proposed was illegal and had to be changed with only weeks to go. What a way to legislate the industry!
If you want to see the effect of the Euro 3 runout on sales, the sales figures will be on the SMMT web site next week.
Comments (1)
It's a bit odd that in an era of diminishing oil and increasing prices for the same, 30 per cent of an OEM's R&D budget goes on maintaining compliance with today's legislation. This is very small picture thinking on the part of the legislators; today's CV is a far cleaner beast than its predecessor, and there has to be a point at which the return on new emissions legislation is marginal at best. Wouldn't it be better if that 30 per cent was spent developing efficiencies for tomorrow’s trucks, as opposed to cleaning up the already near spotless?
Posted by OHCD | October 3, 2006 9:39 PM
Posted on October 3, 2006 21:39