Renault Group boss urges UK to follow EU in curbing Chinese EVs

The UK should be part of any European Union ecosystem for automotive manufacturing, according to Renault Group boss Francois Provost – even if that means introducing tariffs on Chinese cars. The EU is currently developing the Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA), which is designed to boost production in the region and has a large focus on automotive manufacturing. At present vehicles and components built in the UK could be excluded from the potential benefits on offer in that bill. Asked by Autocar at the Paris motor show about growing Chinese competition in Europe and what help European car firms such as Renault needed to combat them, Provost cited three key factors: being "reasonable" on the electrification path, stopping the "tsunami" of regulations, and a deal between the EU and China. "Being reasonable in the electrification path does not mean we should withdraw from the ambition to be fully electric," said Provost. "On the contrary, we have to give even more confidence to the customers. But 100% electric is unrealistic and is not good for Europe. "For you in the UK, the ZEV [Zero Emission Vehicle mandate] has to be adaptive. We say this should be 10% non-BEV plus 10% with compensation, and with this we can manage." "For regulation, we need to stop the tsunami of regulation, which has zero interest for customers. This is a European playbook: the happiness of people in Europe is supposed to be linked to regulation and free trade. It does not work like this. "Finally, the IAA alone will not work if there is no deal between China and EU, to limit the flow of imports into Europe." Provost highlighted that the UK is currently one of the few markets with no tariffs on Chinese cars, and noted their market share exceeded 20% last month. He added: "The UK has been part of the EU ecosystem for automotive for decades. So for me, there is no other choice than to have a deal between UK and EU in order to have UK embedded in the IAA and European ecosystem, but on your side you have also to take decisions. "You have to make choices. If the UK is willing to join the European ecosystem, this is to have an industrial ambition, and this industrial ambition is to keep a strong automotive industry: one which is not closed to Chinese competitors, but says if you want to operate in Europe, you have to deeply invest in the whole value chain – not only final manufacturing, but suppliers, R&D technologies. "Again, I'm not here to demand anything, but if the UK is willing to join this ecosystem of IAA, there is an open question about the level of imports of Chinese cars in the UK. I'm not the UK government, I just hope there could be a deal between the UK and EU. And if so, clearly you cannot have huge level of imports in the UK if there is limited imports in EU. It's just common sense."

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Renault Group boss urges UK to follow EU in curbing Chinese EVs

François Provost calls for UK-EU industrial pact alongside adjustments to zero-emission vehicle mandate

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