Spanish Clunkers Are Relics of Bust as Madrid Acts to Stem Fumes

Paul Hanna („Reuters“ / „Scanpix“) nuotr.

Fumes belching from aging cars are part of the legacy of Spain’s economic slump, as Madrid steps up its efforts to contain traffic pollution.

Madrid city council last week stopped cars with even- numbered license plates from entering the central city zone for a day and also imposed speed and parking restrictions as it acted to tackle to traffic pollution made worse by high-pressure weather conditions. One reason for the build-up of fumes is the increased age of Spain’s car fleet as owners stopped replacing vehicles during the country’s economic slump from 2009 to 2013, said Ricardo Conesa, head of the Automotive Enterprise Program of IE Business School in Madrid.

The real-estate bust that pitched Spain into a five-year economic malaise sapped demand for all kinds of consumer goods including cars, causing annual registrations to plunge 40 percent from 2008 to 2012. The decline in investment in new cars is one reason Madrilenos must now increasingly endure the “black beret,” as the pall of pollution that forms over the city during clear weather conditions is known.