The entire European automotive industry will crash if legislation concerning CO2 reductions isn't revised by the end of the year, Stellantis’s most senior executive in Europe has warned.
Speaking at the Munich motor show, Stellantis Europe boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said there was "a sense of urgency” ahead of cross-industry talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and there should be "less discussions, more actions", which should include a new European-specific category to bring back the sub-€15,000 city car segment.
Current European legislation has the industry working towards a 55% reduction in CO2 levels for cars and 50% for vans by 2030 and a 100% reduction by 2035, based on 2021 levels. This will necessitate a dramatic increase in EV sales.
"We'd like to stop discussion and see action – now," said Imparato. "For the period of 2026 to 2030 and to 2035, the CO2 thresholds are not reachable. The market isn't there, the economic context isn't there, the charging stations are not there and the price [of EVs] is not competitive.
"Sixty per cent of the industry in Europe is for cars below €40,000, and we cannot meet the expectations of the customers here [with what the legislation requires around EVs]. We will never meet the thresholds requested, and if we don't, we will crash the entire automotive industry."
Imparato's comments came after BMW CEO Oliver Zipse warned the European car industry "will halve" if manufacturers are forced to comply with the rules as they are currently written.
Imparato outlined four areas on which the industry had broadly agreed and would be presenting to von der Leyen and her officials, and he said he would like the focus of the talks to be on these points rather than "spending hours discussing percentages".
First, the industry wants to address LCV (sub 3.5-tonne vans) legislation, which "is not reachable at all", as "nobody will buy a €50,000-plus [electric] Fiat Ducato today".
Imparato wants to see LCV CO2 emissions reductions pooled over a rolling five-year basis and adapted to include any and all relevant technologies, including diesel.
"The current legislation is just writing the crash of the LCV industry below 3.5 tonnes in Europe," he said.
Second point of order is the legislation to enable the return of the A-segment city car in Europe. Imparato said there were once 49 city car models below €15k but now there is just one, as these cars are no longer profitable to make.
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