Britain will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a plan to get them off the roads altogether 10 years later, environment minister Michael Gove said on Wednesday this week. This could be bad news for the Malaysian gray/used car buyers (AP Holders) as most of them source their cars from Britain (right hand drive and low mileage).
Gove’s comments confirmed UK newspaper reports on Tuesday that said from 2040 all new vehicles sold must be fully electric as part of a plan to clean up air pollution. The sale of new hybrid vehicles that have an electric motor combined with a gasoline or diesel engine would also end under the plan.
The UK is the latest European country to focus on electric vehicles for future transportation. France also plans to end the sale of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles by 2040 in a bid to become a carbon-neutral nation. German cities including Stuttgart and Munich have also said they are considering banning some diesel vehicles, which are blamed for harmful NOx emissions.
The UK’s step will likely accelerate the decline of diesel cars in the UK, Europe’s second-biggest market after Germany.
