Italy sells luxury state cars on eBay

Italy’s government is selling off scores of official cars including Jaguars and Maseratis, on eBay as it strives to show it is responding to public pressure to cut spending and the privileges of the powerful.

A total of 151 vehicles, including 40 BMWs, are up for sale — a fraction of a 60,000-strong fleet owned by Italy’s public bodies that the state estimates costs over €1bn a year to run.

The auction is unlikely to make a dent in Italy’s €2 trillion debt. But it is widely seen as a highly visible and symbolic move by Matteo Renzi, the new prime minister.