In view of the bleak outlook on the EU automobile market, manufacturers have called for CO₂ limits to be relaxed. The European umbrella organization Acea demanded in his message
on Thursday “urgent” support from the EU Commission. Acea represents 15 car manufacturers in the EU, including the BMW Group, Volkwagen Group and Mercedes-Benz as well Daimler Trucks.
According to the manufacturers’ association, the market for electric cars collapsed by 43.9 percent – compared to August 2023. In the same month, new registrations were at a record level as demand rose sharply in the short term before the federal government stopped promoting sales of electric cars. The electric car share of total sales of 21 percent achieved at the time has not been reached again since then.
Accordingly, particular attention was paid to Germany electric car sales fell sharply year-on-year. In France the market also fell sharply compared to August 2023. New German and French registrations of electric cars also weakened over the first eight months of this year. Spain and Italy On the other hand, we were able to record a positive trend.
The EU Commission should bring forward a revision of the regulations
In a formal request to Brussels, the manufacturers’ association called for “urgent relief measures to be taken before the new CO₂ targets for cars and commercial vehicles come into force in 2025.” The EU Commission should bring forward a revision of the CO₂ limit regulation, which is actually only scheduled for 2026.
The EU fleet limits give manufacturers guidelines on how much CO₂ the cars they produce can emit on average. Violations result in high fines. These funds could then not flow into the development of more climate-friendly vehicles, argues Acea. There is a risk of “unnecessary production cuts, job losses and a weakened European supply and value chain.”
FDP supports car manufacturers’ demands
In Germany, the FDP joined the demands of the car manufacturers. “The EU Commission must abolish the fleet limits for the automotive industry,” said FDP Bundestag member Carina Konrad to the AFP news agency. “The planned economy system made up of impractical projects has failed and is causing enormous economic damage.” Konrad went on to speak of “insane guidelines” – these must be withdrawn quickly.