John Elkann’s first public act was to join the ranks of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Carlos Tavares, ousted from the car manufacturer on December 1, 2024, decided to leave the lobbying association in June 2022.
John Elkann’s first public act was to join the ranks of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). (©Stellantis)
Stellantis will return to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the European lobby that it left in 2022.
The information was confirmed on December 7, 2024 by a spokesperson for the car manufacturer to AFP. It follows a meeting, in Vélizy (78), of many executives of the group, led by John Elkann, president of the new interim executive committee.
During this meeting, John Elkann focused his speech on European challenges, emphasizing the need to manage “thetransitioning electrification with flexibility and intelligence, while leveraging our new multi-energy platforms with our leading brands“, according to comments collected from the manufacturer. He also recalled that the group was “ready to adapt quickly to any regulatory change that may occur, while maintaining a constant quality requirement for Stellantis products and in its relationships with customers and stakeholders“.
This decision also marks a disavowal of the strategy pursued by the former general manager, Carlos Tavares, dismissed by the manufacturer’s board of directors. The latter had decided to leave the ACEA in June 2022. Carlos Tavares then justified his decision by the desire of the ACEA to oppose the end of sales of thermal vehicles in 2035.
Carlos Tavares then decided to launch his own debate platform on the future of the automobile called Freedom of Mobility Forum. This platform brought together once a year representatives of the manufacturer, academics and climate experts, with the aim of influencing political decisions concerning mobility in Europe in a different way.
-A victory for ACEA
In September 2024, Carlos Tavares once again disavowed ACEA, by dissociating himself from its request to adjust the next level of CO2 emission standards known as CAFE. As of January 1, 2025, these standards require manufacturers to set a limit of 81g of CO2/km on average compared to 95g until the end of the year.
The former manager assured that these standards had been established for a long time, that Stellantis was in compliance, and that he was ready to “race”.
John Elkann’s desire to rejoin ACEA could indicate a development expected by the association. The interim chairman of the group declared that Stellantis was “ready to adapt quickly to any regulatory change that may occur“.
For its part, ACEA welcomes Stellantis’ request to join the association. “Faced with the unprecedented competitiveness crisis facing Europe and the collective need to meet the challenges of green transformation, it is more important than ever to remain united. ACEA members may be competitors on the market, but they all share the same objective: a competitive and sustainable transition towards zero-emission mobility, in a Europe capable of establishing itself on a global scale. We will continue to work on it with dynamism and commitment. declared Luca de Meo, president of the association and boss of the Renault group.
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