QCOSTARICA – A total of 47 people had traded in their old car for an environmental friendlier one since the start of the Programa de Adquisición de Vehículos Eficientes (PAVE) – Acquisition Program of Efficient Vehicle – program two months ago.
Fifteen car dealerships in Costa Rica are offering up to 90 different models, like the Hyundai Accent, Kia Picanto, Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Volkswagen Crossfox, among others.
Carlos Aguilar, spokesperson for the Asociación de Importadores de Vehículos y Maquinaria (Aivema) – Association of Importers of Vehicles and Equipment – said they are satisfied with the response by the public willing to eliminate their old polluting vehicles.
The PAVE plan calls for the trade-ins to be unregistered with the Registro Nacional (Property Registry) for recycling and will not be used for spare parts in order to prevent further contamination.
Aguilar added that the Aivema is expecting more car dealers to join the process of disposing of old cars from the country’s vehicular fleet.
The PAVE program also includes an agreement with the state bank, the Banco de Costa Rica (BCR), which finances up to 100% of the purchase of the new vehicles, at a fixed rate of 6.25%, for the first three years.
