This is the better option. But, if you're gonna do that, there needs to be some kind of program that allows people to sell their banned vehicle to the government for above market value so they can afford to purchase a comparable, but more suitable vehicle instead. Otherwise, you're gonna have a bunch of pissed off people with six-figure, three-ton lawn ornaments crying about how they couldn't have known their vehicle would get banned and it's now useless.

AFAIK yes, that’s the loophole. If a vehicle is heavy enough then the law assumes it must be for “work” and thus some pollution laws don’t apply.

Car manufacturers noticed this and thus the massive “Sports” “Utility” Vehicle was born.

Close. I believe you're referring to the EPA efficiency mandates passed in the 90s that carved out exceptions for "heavy duty" trucks and SUVs, which lead to the creation of "crossover" vehicles, which started as a way to deliver car-like efficiency and features, while still minimizing development and efficiency costs by still having it classified as a "truck."

No, you're entirely correct (though it was one of many factors, that being the largest)

You can have an income- and wealth-dependent fine.

It could be as a % of your total income (bonus included) + wealth (including stocks, full ownership chain included).

1.5% of income, 5% of wealth in bank account, 10% of stock value. If any of these three exceeds 300x the median of the lowest 10%'s salary (let's say that that's 10k), then it's 80% for all three. That would hit the ultra-wealthy more and so it'd be fairer.

For a poor person earning less than €10,000 a year and having €1,000 in bank and no stocks, that'd be €200.

For someone earning €40,000 a year, having €80,000 in bank and €10,000 in stocks, that'd be €5,600.

For a billionnaire who has 1 billion, let's say €2,000,000 per year as "income", €100,000,000 in "bank account", and the rest of 1 billion in stocks. Then they'd be paying € 801.6 million.

There are ways to make fines hurt everyone, see how Finnish people handle speeding tickets

It’s a percentage of your income 😀

The whole world should, unfortunately people with money have a greater say when it comes to the rules, and they don't like that rule.