“It would be surreal to change European rules now” on CO2 emissions, as some carmakers are calling for, Stellantis chairman Carlos Tavares said on Sunday. According to an informal document published in the press, the automotive lobby ACEA (which includes Volkswagen and Renault, but no longer Stellantis) is asking the European Union to activate a rare emergency procedure to postpone by two years the implementation of strengthened rules on CO2 emissions, which were planned until 2025.
These rules force them to sell more electric models, under penalty of heavy fines. But the electric market in Europe has not grown as expected in recent months, in particular because of the elimination of purchase aid in Germany. For Stellantis, the second largest European group, this does not change anything: “From the point of view of the competition so dear to the European Union, it would be surreal to change the rules now,” said Carlos Tavares on Sunday in an interview with AFP.
This vintage car and motorsports enthusiast was part of the jury and presented DS, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia models.
Ready for any eventuality
Carlos Tavares, however, has long been opposed to setting overly restrictive standards for the car industry regarding its CO2 emissions. He has been saying for years that electric cars will not be sold if they remain too expensive. “The dogmatism (of European decision-makers) has been shattered 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, thank you, not at that price (…).”
Stellantis, which posted declining first-half results, says it is prepared for any eventuality, with a continuous reinforcement of its electric range, but also a range of 30 hybrid models under its 15 brands until the end of 2024. “It has been imposed from an ethical point of view not to buy credits” (which authorize the most polluting manufacturers to ally themselves with the least polluting ones, such as Tesla, “because we believe that we really must contribute to reducing emissions,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
