France to ban Diesel cars.....?

[Mega]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/in...over-emissions

[shiny!]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

Linky no worky

[Mega]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

France plans diesel engine cull in fight over pollution

The French government will move to limit access to diesel-engined vehicles from next year, with the launch of a new car identification system
France's new system will allow local authorities to target diesel-engined vehicles

by Darren Moss
1 December 2014 1:18pm



Diesel-engined vehicles could be gradually phased out in France as the country seeks to improve its average CO2 emissions and reduce pollution in its cities.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced a new car identification system which will be used from next year to keep track of the dirtiest vehicles in the country. Local authorities could then use the data to limit access for diesel-powered cars and vans.

Announcing the new system, Valls called the French people's favour of diesel-powered cars "a mistake", saying: "We will progressively undo that, intelligently and pragmatically." It is thought that around 80 per-cent of French motorists drive diesel-powered vehicles.

As well as bringing in new measures to lower the tax advantage on diesel cars, the government will also be increasing the so-called TICPE excise tax on diesel by two per cent, bringing in an extra €807 million.

France's measures are yet another sign that the dominance of diesel in Europe could be about to end. Experts have already warned that a combination of stringent EU emissions legislation, rises in diesel fuel prices and increasingly efficient petrol engines could lead to a decline in diesel-engined vehicles.
Europe has historically been the largest consumer of diesel-powered cars, with some 55 per cent of vehicles running diesel engines.

Such measures could also be repeated in the UK, with plans for a new Ultra Low Emissions Zone in the capital gathering pace. The zone could be introduced in central London from 2020, and would likely heavily tax those using diesel-powered vehicles not meeting the latest EU emissions standards.

[photon555]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

"Announcing the new system, Valls called the French people's favour of diesel-powered cars "a mistake", saying: "We will progressively undo that, intelligently and pragmatically." It is thought that around 80 per-cent of French motorists drive diesel-powered vehicles."

Good thing we the people have a government to correct our "mistakes" and since when have progressives been either intelligent or pragmatic. Oh well, I just found a really good American brie, and there are plenty of good wines from just about everywhere, so why do I care if France finally goes paps up.

[EJ]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

"Announcing the new system, Valls called the French people's favour of diesel-powered cars "a mistake", saying: "We will progressively undo that, intelligently and pragmatically." It is thought that around 80 per-cent of French motorists drive diesel-powered vehicles."

Good thing we the people have a government to correct our "mistakes" and since when have progressives been either intelligent or pragmatic. Oh well, I just found a really good American brie, and there are plenty of good wines from just about everywhere, so why do I care if France finally goes paps up.

How is it that the country that invented the terms "entrepreneur" and "laissez-faire" and produced such men of clarity of economic thought as Frédéric Bastiat is now proposing to tax out of existence autos owned by 80% of the populace which disproportionate occurrence is due to government subsidies of diesel at the taxation expense of petrol?

France as a country and a people is grand. As a political economy it is a disaster.

[sutro]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

How is it that the country that invented the terms "entrepreneur" and "laissez-faire" and produced such men of clarity of economic thought as Frédéric Bastiat is now proposing to tax out of existence autos owned by 80% of the populace which disproportionate occurrence is due to government subsidies of diesel at the taxation expense of petrol? France as a country and a people is grand. As a political economy it is a disaster.

But isn't stimulating demand for electric cars kinda TECI-ish?

[verdo]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

But isn't stimulating demand for electric cars kinda TECI-ish?

This isn't the right way to stimulate demand for something imo. And if im not mistaken, the TECI economy is all about promoting the production of incredibly efficiency petrol engine cars that can go twice or three times as far as cars we have today with the same amount of fuel.

[FrankL]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

I'd guess the reason for this is a combination of the following possibilities:
- There are huge air pollution issues in large French cities (at least in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble). Politicians want to show the public they do something, regardless of the effectiveness of their decisions. The average age of cars in France is relatively high and old diesel engines emit a lot of pollutants. Hence diesel has a bad name and is an easy target for politicians.
- French car manufacturers might not be competitive with foreign car manufacturers in making cars with modern diesel engines? (I'd love to see some figures on this). The French government loves to protect their own market, and will introduce any type of absurd law required to do this.
- something else?

[GRG55]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

I'd guess the reason for this is a combination of the following possibilities:
- There are huge air pollution issues in large French cities (at least in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble). Politicians want to show the public they do something, regardless of the effectiveness of their decisions. The average age of cars in France is relatively high and old diesel engines emit a lot of pollutants. Hence diesel has a bad name and is an easy target for politicians.
- French car manufacturers might not be competitive with foreign car manufacturers in making cars with modern diesel engines? (I'd love to see some figures on this). The French government loves to protect their own market, and will introduce any type of absurd law required to do this.
- something else?

If 80% of light passenger cars in France are diesel, and French car manufacturers are not competitive making diesel cars, how does banning diesel cars make these manufacturers more competitive?

[Mega]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

French bank dumps British assets, contrasts UK sclerosis with Francois Hollande miracle

'The UK cannot compete anymore. There has been zero structural reform,' says Société Générale

Societe Generale said much of Britain's growth is driven by excess leverage and a housing bubble Photo: Alamy









By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

8:29PM GMT 02 Dec 2014

341 Comments


France’s Société Générale has advised clients to liquidate British assets and dump sterling before the elections, warning that the UK is badly governed and increasingly prone to political risk.


“So far there has been zero structural reform and no improvement in the twin deficits or exports despite a significant devaluation of the currency. We are concerned,” it said.


Alain Bokobza, head of the French bank’s global asset team, said much of Britain’s growth is driven by excess leverage and a housing bubble. “This is due to lax monetary policy that needs tightening. It is not sustainable,” he said.

The fact that the country is still running a budget deficit of 5.5pc of GDP so late into the cycle - at a stage when growth is mature, and should be generating a cascade of tax revenues - means the economy is fundamentally out of kilter. The UK risks falling afoul of markets once sentiment changes.


The irony of a French bank blasting Britain for failing to implement supply-side reforms might cause a few smiles in Paris, where socialist president Francois Hollande is pushing through a raft of Thatcherite reforms against bitter opposition. The bank insists that France is the new reform champion in Europe, and may soon leave Germany languishing in inertia.

Related Articles

• 
  
• Capital controls feared as Russian rouble collapses
  01 Dec 2014
• Saudis risk playing with fire in shale-price showdown as crude crashes
  30 Nov 2014
• Goldman: Pound to hit 15-year highs against the euro
  20 Nov 2014

Société Générale said it may be a treacherous time for global markets as liquidity drains away. “While in 2014, the Fed still injected $460bn, nothing will be injected in 2015, and the Fed will almost certainly hike rates. We expect a hiccup in global equity markets.”

Mr Bokobza said it is ominous that the sterling crash in 2008-2009 has done so little to boost to exports, or drive import substitution. Five years later, Britain is running a current account deficit of 5.2pc of GDP.

This is the worst of any major country in the world, and arguably the worst in Britain's modern peacetime history, despite reassuring words from the Bank of England. “The numbers speak for themselves. The UK cannot compete anymore and this shows Britain is in need of structural reform,” he said.

Mr Bokobza said UKIP’s surge “from victory to victory” has thrown the UK into political turmoil and sharpens the market risk of EU withdrawal. He sees three likely outcomes in the general elections in May, and none of them is appetising for global investors: a Labour victory that implies a bigger state; a hung Parliament that would make it even harder to cope with Britain’s twin deficits; or a Tory victory that brings the UK closer to withdrawal from the EU. “We advise pension funds. We don’t gamble with money,” he said.

It is already clear from derivatives contracts that hedge funds have Britain in their sights. “There has been a change of ambiance. The first point of attack for speculators is in the currency market and we can see that there has been a switch to net short positions,” he said.

The bank advises clients to avoid the FTSE 250 brimming with equities linked to the domestic economy. The larger companies on the FTSE 100 are better protected since 80pc of their earnings come from overseas. Even so, the bank still expects the index to fall 3pc from now until the end of 2017.

American equities are “super expensive”. Data going back to 1871 show that US stock markets have never risen for seven years in a row.

The bank recommends a contrarian stake in European stock markets, especially bank stocks. The French CAC 40 will rise 60pc by 2017 on the Hollande miracle, and Italy's MIB will be up 64pc. India's Sensex will be up 58pc.
Above all rotate into “super cheap” Chinese equities on the grounds that Beijing is about to capitulate again and pull the stimulus lever.

[FrankL]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

I'd guess the reason for this is a combination of the following possibilities:
- There are huge air pollution issues in large French cities (at least in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble). Politicians want to show the public they do something, regardless of the effectiveness of their decisions. The average age of cars in France is relatively high and old diesel engines emit a lot of pollutants. Hence diesel has a bad name and is an easy target for politicians.
- French car manufacturers might not be competitive with foreign car manufacturers in making cars with modern diesel engines? (I'd love to see some figures on this). The French government loves to protect their own market, and will introduce any type of absurd law required to do this.
- something else?

This week I've learned that the Dutch government is imitating the exact same steps as the French government is towards diesel cars: Officially, they're saying that diesel passenger cars need to be banned/removed because of pollution issues with diesel engines.

However, I've read a much better explanation for both the French as well as the Dutch governments: diesel fuel is less heavily taxed than petrol in both France and the Netherlands. The governments cannot/dare not raise the tax on diesel fuel, as they are afraid to damage the transport sector that runs on diesel trucks.
Instead, they're trying to reduce the percentage of passenger cars with diesel engines, in order to maximize the taxation of fuel used by regular citizen.

[FrankL]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

I'd guess the reason for this is a combination of the following possibilities:
- There are huge air pollution issues in large French cities (at least in Paris, Lyon and Grenoble). Politicians want to show the public they do something, regardless of the effectiveness of their decisions. The average age of cars in France is relatively high and old diesel engines emit a lot of pollutants. Hence diesel has a bad name and is an easy target for politicians.
- French car manufacturers might not be competitive with foreign car manufacturers in making cars with modern diesel engines? (I'd love to see some figures on this). The French government loves to protect their own market, and will introduce any type of absurd law required to do this.
- something else?

This week I've learned that the Dutch government is imitating the exact same steps as the French government is towards diesel cars: Officially, they're saying that diesel passenger cars need to be banned/removed because of pollution issues with diesel engines.

However, I've read a much better explanation for both the French as well as the Dutch governments: diesel fuel is less heavily taxed than petrol in both France and the Netherlands. The governments cannot/dare not raise the tax on diesel fuel, as they are afraid to damage the transport sector that runs on diesel trucks.
Instead, they're trying to reduce the percentage of passenger cars with diesel engines, in order to maximize the taxation of fuel used by regular citizen.

[santafe2]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

...if im not mistaken, the TECI economy is all about promoting the production of incredibly efficiency petrol engine cars that can go twice or three times as far as cars we have today with the same amount of fuel.

I just read a short article on Seeking Alpha this morning that makes some of the same points. Battery technology will not get cheaper fast enough to keep up with petrol based technology. The author is more positive about the more distant future but this can be little better than a guess.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/2879...36ef7&uprof=45

[dcarrigg]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

Is it really nationwide? From what I read, it's a plan to phase them out of the Paris city center by 2020. And even then, the socialist mayor is getting push back from her own party, saying that she's catering to rich people who live in the city center at the expense of poorer employees that commute in from the cheaper suburbs via diesel cars. We'll see if it ever actually materializes. Meanwhile, they're pushing for it in London too.

You ask me, it's just another brick in the wall of gentrification. The wealthy take over downtown, then punish "the help" to make it more like their Disney Dreams. Happens all over all the time. Near me there's an old fisherman bar on the water that's the center of working class / middle class life in the little village. Sort of a spot for a $2 beer and a $3 burger and walls that haven't been updated in decades. The millionaire New Yorkers who vacation up the road are trying to kill it by hook or by crook. They don't want to have to look at brawls or bait or beards. And they pay more property tax. So they'll get their way.

55+ communities, luxury condos, and rental mansions at the beach. That's all that will be left. The town is running "more like a business." That means they don't want kids. Kids cost money at school. They don't people who work for a living. People who work for a living don't pay $5,000+ per month for housing. And they're liable to have kids. They want retirees, trust funders, vacationers, and anyone else living off capital gains. And they'll get them. The coastal working class will end up in retail, faded back inland 20 minutes from the water, to live as the underclass in the former middle class mill towns. So it has gone for years. So it continues to go.

Mid-tier cities are different than these world destinations like Paris. Instead of a raw capital issue with more yacht moorings, they get yuppies with more craft breweries. And you can't fight the yuppies, because they are city hall. Especially if you're bowling alone.

I wouldn't characterize this as a "French socialist basket-case government gone amok" story. Because you'd be missing the real story here. It's about making rich people slightly more comfortable. It has nothing to do with anything else. And French Socialists, British Labour, American Democrats - doesn't matter - it's not about equality. Not really. It's about the Benjamins. And if patrons of the $3,000 per night hotel in the center of town never want to smell diesel exhaust again, their will be done. It's their world, after all. The rest of us just live in it.

[jk]

Re: France to ban Diesel cars.....?

let's not overlook this nugget: the government will also be increasing the so-called TICPE excise tax on diesel by two per cent, bringing in an extra €807 million.