After CO2, the weight of the vehicle? The National Assembly’s Sustainable Development Committee adopted on Monday evening, during the examination of the draft budget 2020, an amendment “for opinion” aimed at introducing, in addition of the bonus-malus on carbon dioxide emissions , a similar device based on the weight of the vehicle. The project is unlikely to succeed in the short term, but it already gives the builders cold sweat.
The amendment is based on the observation that the automobile market has shifted in recent years towards increasingly heavy vehicles, with in particular the success of SUV models, which in 2018 accounted for more than a third of new car sales. . According to a note from France Strategy published at the beginning of the summer this vehicle weight inflation is undermining the progress made in the efficiency of CO2 engines.
A ceiling at 10,000 euros
The amendment therefore proposes to introduce a penalty for all models weighing more than 1,300 kg. The threshold would be set at 1,700 kg for electric vehicles, to take account of the overweight related to the battery. Modulation for families with 3 children is planned. For example, the penalty paid by a customer without children would be 750 euros for an Audi A3, 3,000 euros for a BMW X2, with a ceiling of 10,000 euros for the heavier models, such as Tesla Model X.
Companies in the sector are up against this initiative. “No impact study has been made,” says François Roudier, director of communications for the French Automobile Manufacturers Committee. In addition, this may confuse customers, who will choose to defer their purchases before seeing more clearly. In the end, it will be counter-productive on the greening of the park! “
The industry is already under pressure
The amendment will be debated in plenary, but it is unlikely to be adopted. Unless surprise, the government should spare the sector, because it already has a big challenge in the short term: down from 2020 the average level of CO2 emissions of new cars at 95 grams per kilometer otherwise they will have to pay very heavy fines in Brussels. And the march is high, because last month the average level of emissions on the French market was still 109.6 grams.
Achieving this goal represents a systemic shock for the sector. The builders will play on all possible levers , and some will even stop producing some models. But the question of the weight of cars has never come into play, and it is hard to imagine the executive taking the risk of changing the equation within three months of the deadline.
“Capital to open this debate”
Matthieu Orphelin, one of the members who supported this amendment, is aware of this. “But today, the bonus-penalty existing on CO2 is not effective enough, he argues. It is crucial to open up the debate on taking into account the weight of the vehicle, even if this is not done by 2020. “
A bonus-malus indexed on the weight of vehicles (as already practiced in Norway) would hit hard the German brands, specialists in large sedans. But it would also shake the brands that have positioned themselves on the market of large SUV, such as Peugeot or Citroën. Manufacturers like BMW who have invested in hybrid engines, often heavier, would also be concerned.