Car manufacturers ask Europe for immediate intervention

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has extended her hand to the car manufacturers she intends to meet in January. However, Luca de Meo, President of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) and CEO of the Renault Group, calls for immediate action. Immediate action on CO2 standards is needed before the end of 2024, to avoid damage to competitiveness and employment.

The European industry remains committed to the EU's 2050 climate neutrality target and the transition to zero-emission mobility, the association reiterates, but time is running out because the new CO2 limits for cars and vans will come into force in 2025, i.e. in a few days' time.

Those who will exceed the new limit set by Brussels on the average CO2 emissions of cars, we remind you, will be forced to pay Europe hefty fines, in the order of €95 for every gram of CO2 exceeding the limit imposed for each group, all multiplied by the number of cars sold in a year in the EU markets.

We must act fast

Luca de Meo reiterates the need for a clear political statement from the European Commission by the end of 2024, recalling that a reminder to this effect has also come from the German, French, Italian and other European governments.

ACEA, which is now counting again on Stellantis (which had abandoned it in 2022 at the behest of Carlos Tavares), points out in the press note that the automotive industry (which employs 13.2 million people in Europe) risks losing up to €16 billion in investment capacity by paying penalties, reducing production, regrouping with foreign competitors or selling electric vehicles at a loss.

For these reasons, we cannot wait until January to start the Commission's strategic dialogue on the future of the automotive industry or the revision of the CO2 legislation in 2026.

Teamwork

ACEA points out that sales of electric vehicles are currently stagnating at around 13 per cent market share and that therefore the transition, which remains the goal, is not supported by the market.

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"In a well-functioning system, paying penalties should be the exception, not the norm. And avoiding penalties should be based on sound economics, not inflicting damage,' says De Meo. The ACEA members have promised €250 billion in the transition to green mobility and, just like everyone else, we want it to succeed. Unfortunately, the honest assessment must be that the transition is not going as planned and that sticking to legal rigidity leads to potentially irreversible damage. Legal flexibility, on the other hand, will keep the investments flowing and the transition on track'.

Read also:

Stellantis changes course: not only electric cars from 2035

Volkswagen will not lay off or close factories - agreement reached

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