A new measure to pay owners of old cars €2,500 to junk their wrecks and buy something new has proven popular in Germany. In fact the idea is so popular that money for the program may be running short — even before the measure has passed.

It’s almost a sport in Germany these days to criticize Berlin for its erratic attempts to confront the worsening economic effects of the ongoing financial crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel isn’t doing enough, her critics say. The country’s two stimulus programs amount to a random collection of spending plans, say some observers, not a strategic approach to the economic storm.

But one aspect of the second stimulus package, which has not yet been passed into law, looks like a rousing success. The package foresees granting €2,500 ($3,250) to people who elect to junk their current automobile, provided it’s at least nine years old, and buy a new (or slightly used) car. Interest has been intense.

As many as 1.2 million people may advantage of the offer should it become law, according to the market research institute Puls. The government office that will oversee the plan — the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) — has been overwhelmed by requests for information. Some 270,000 people called the agency’s hotline on Monday; on Tuesday the number was 150,000.

Interest has been so great, in fact, that the €1.5 billion set aside for the so-called “scrapping bonus” may now be too limited. The budget could pay for the scrapping of 600,000 cars — meaning that car owners who wait too long may miss out on the bonus.

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