Volkswagen brand launches diesel swapping program throughout Germany

The environmental incentive applies throughout Germany for scrappage of a Euro-1 to Euro-4 diesel vehicle of any make in exchange for a new or nearly-new vehicle from Volkswagen. In principle, the environmental incentive applies for new diesel vehicles, with vehicle keepers in the 14 most heavily polluted cities and surrounding areas also entitled to choose a new vehicle with any type of drivetrain. As far as nearly-new vehicles are concerned, any drivetrain can be selected; 75 percent of the incentive value for new vehicles applies for nearly-new Golf, e-Golf, Golf Sportsvan, Golf Variant, Touran, Passat Limousine and Passat Variant models, while 50 percent of the new-vehicle incentive applies for all other models.

Keepers of any make of Euro-4 or Euro-5 diesel vehicles in the 14 cities classified by the federal government as the most heavily polluted and the surrounding areas can also use the new exchange premium. This is paid for trade-ins in addition to the old vehicle’s residual value and is valid for both new vehicles and nearly-new cars with all types of drivetrain. 75 percent of the premium value for new vehicles applies for nearly-new Golf, e-Golf, Golf Sportsvan, Golf Variant, Touran, Passat Limousine and Passat Variant models, while 50 percent of the new-vehicle premium applies for all other models.

It is planned that anyone who keeps a Euro-1 to Euro-5 diesel vehicle of any make in the 14 cities particularly affected and the surrounding areas will shortly be receiving a letter from the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (German Federal Motor Authority) informing them that they are entitled to take advantage of these special offers.

Non-binding sample calculation for the exchange premium: a customer trades in a 4-year-old Euro-5 diesel Golf with a Volkswagen partner: the monthly payment for financing the old vehicle was €285. The trade-in price according to the DAT or Schwacke list is approximately €11,000, which the customer uses for the final payment on the Golf and as the down payment for the new financing contract. The customer chooses a new Golf TDI with comparable equipment and is entitled to an additional €4,000 exchange premium. The new monthly payment is approximately €270. This means the customer has swapped the old Euro-5 diesel for a new Euro-6 diesel with no extra capital outlay and has saved an additional €15 per month through the lower financing rate. Customers can obtain their individual offers from all participating Volkswagen partners in Germany.

Volkswagen’s free Deutschland Garantie (“Germany Guarantee”) which was introduced on April 1 for the purchase of a new or nearly-new diesel vehicle from a Volkswagen dealer continues to apply until the end of 2018. It is valid for three years from the date of purchase and gives customers the option to exchange their vehicle in the event that a driving ban is imposed where they live or work.

Volkswagen will be flanking the diesel swapping program with extensive communication measures on several channels. Anyone interested in further details can contact the participating Volkswagen partners in Germany now or call the hotline on +49 (0)5361-83 89 99 60. A website with information on the offers will be available online soon.

Board Member for Sales, Jürgen Stackmann: “Volkswagen believes in the diesel. Independent studies indicate that our current models rank among the cleanest on the market when it comes to NO_x emissions. Moreover, fuel-efficient diesel engines continue to make an important contribution in the fight against climate change. The diesel swapping program we have launched today specifically seeks to reinforce the confidence of German customers in this technology and offer them individual mobility by preventing driving bans.”

Volkswagen’s first environmental incentive from August 2017 to June 2018 successfully demonstrated that systematic fleet renewal is a swift and efficient way of improving air quality. Over 210,000 old diesel vehicles were taken off the roads, scrapped and replaced by modern, cleaner models. In combination with the software updates for diesel vehicles, nitrogen dioxide emissions have thus been reduced by over 10,000 tonnes per year.