Ola Källenius (55) had already briefly summarized his goals as head of the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers Acea when he was elected to office in December last year: “During my presidency, Acea will focus on improving the regulatory conditions in order to increase our competitiveness in the market “To promote the digital and electric age,” he said. “We will work to promote market-led decarbonization of our industry. And we will work for free, fair and rules-based international trade.”
Now Källenius, head of the car manufacturer in his main job, is in charge Mercedes Benz, the points a little further: At a press conference in Brussels on Thursday, he presented the priorities of his Acea presidency, which he also sent in an open letter to the leaders of the European Union (EU).
In the letter, Källenius mentions three central points on which he sees a need for action at the EU level:
Background: The Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (Acea) is the central lobby organization for the European automobile industry at EU level. In December 2024, Källenius was elected by the association’s Board of Directors as its new president for 2025. He succeeds in the office Renault-Boss Luca De Meo (57), who has been Acea president since the beginning of 2022.