FLEETDRIVE
CHIP CRISIS
POLITICS VS POLLUTION
INSPIRED INCENTIVE
Nissan Motor Co . will adjust production at several factories next month due to the global chip shortage to reduce its short-term expenditure .
Japan ’ s third-largest automaker will halt production at a factory in Tochigi , eastern Japan , for a total of three days in July , according to sources . It will also idle one of its plant in Kyushu , southern Japan for two days next month , while another plant will also only operate on daytime shift work .
Nissan , like other automakers , has been forced to make production adjustments because of a worldwide chip supply issue . The automaker has said the shortage will likely affect the production of 500,000 vehicles this year .
“ Due to the global chip shortage , Nissan is adjusting production and is taking necessary actions to ensure recovery ,” a Nissan spokesperson said , without elaborating .
Germany has been handed a strong rebuke from the European Union ’ s top court for consistently failing to clean up dirty air in its cities .
“ Between 2010 and 2016 , Germany systematically and persistently exceeded the limit values for nitrogen dioxide ,” the EU Court of Justice said in a ruling earlier this month .
A 2018 crackdown on dirty air by the European Commission included the UK , Germany and France , with the EU regulator accusing them of failing to meet limits on nitrogen oxide , which is mostly caused by road traffic and industry . EU court judges in previous rulings also took France and the UK to task for “ persistently ” exceeding limits .
Stephan Stracke , a deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel ’ s conservative caucus , said the court ’ s ruling had been “ overtaken by reality ” as Germany had achieved a “ massive ” improvement in air quality in recent years .
“ It is a great success of our policy that we have achieved this without blanket driving bans , but with incentives for lowemission vehicles , technical innovation and through retrofitting of local public transport ,” Stracke said .
Moscow will give away cars in a prize draw for residents who get the COVID-19 shot to speed up the slow rate of vaccinations , its mayor has said .
After reporting alarming infection rates Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that anyone over 18 who receives the first of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine from June 14 until July 11 would now be automatically entered into a draw to win a car .
Under the scheme five cars worth 1 million roubles ($ 18,200 AU ) each would be given away every week .
“ To avoid new restrictions and secure a sustainable improvement of the situation , we need to significantly speed up vaccinations ,” he said .
Russia began rolling out its Sputnik V shot in December with the vaccine rapidly made available to everyone in Moscow .
ISSUE 29 JUNE 2021 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU 43