According to an informal document, the automotive lobby ACEA is asking the European Union to activate a rare emergency procedure to postpone by two years the application, planned for 2025, of its strengthened rules on CO2 emissions.
“It would be surreal to change the rules” on European CO2 emissions now, as some carmakers are demanding, said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares on Sunday. According to an informal document published in the press, the automotive lobby ACEA (which includes Volkswagen and Renault, but not Stellantis) is asking the European Union to activate a rare emergency procedure to postpone by two years the application, scheduled for 2025, of its strengthened rules on CO2 emissions.
These rules force them to sell more electric models, under penalty of heavy fines. But the electric market has not grown as expected in Europe in recent months, in particular due to the removal of purchase subsidies in Germany. For Stellantis, the second European group, this changes nothing: “from the point of view of competition so dear to the European Union, it would be surreal to change the rules now,” Carlos Tavares said Sunday in an interview with AFP.
“Everyone has known the rules for a long time, everyone has had time to prepare, and so now we are racing,” declared the CEO of Stellantis from the Chantilly (Oise) Concours d’Elegance.
This enthusiast of vintage cars and motor racing was part of the jury, and presented DS, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia models.
Ready for any eventuality
Carlos Tavares has long opposed the implementation of rules that are too restrictive for the automobile industry regarding its CO2 emissions. He has been repeating for years that electric cars will not sell if they remain too expensive. “The dogmatism (of European decision-makers) has broken against the wall of reality,” he explained. “We are in a system where the regulator wants consumers to buy these cars, and the consumer says no thanks, not at this price (…)”.
“But now we have the cars, we have organized ourselves to make the necessary sales, we are breathing down Tesla’s neck. And we are told that there will be disasters. But we should have thought of that before, right?”, said Carlos Tavares.
Stellantis, which posted a decline in results in the first half, assures that it is ready for any eventuality, with an ongoing strengthening of its electric range, but also a range of 30 hybrid models under its 15 brands by the end of 2024. In addition, the group “has imposed itself from an ethical point of view not to buy credits” (which allow the most polluting manufacturers to ally themselves with the least polluting, like Tesla, “because we believe that we must really make a contribution to reducing emissions”, he affirmed.
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