Manufacturers press Brussels: stop equivalent production of eight factories

March 5 seems like a close date, but decisions are missing, and it could still be very far away . On March 5, the European Commission is in fact called to communicate the measures decided in the " strategic dialogue with the automotive industry ", a series of meetings that will involve manufacturers, unions and politicians starting from January 30, 2025. On the table, at least officially, the prospect of European incentives for the purchase of electric cars, in addition to the possibility of also allowing the sale of models with plug-in hybrid engines beyond January 1, 2035, a limit that has so far been insurmountable for any other non-battery-powered vehicle. In reality, the climate in Brussels is agitated by the Cafe emergency, an all-too-friendly abbreviation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulation that translates into the obligation imposed on all car manufacturers to market models that consume less fuel , measuring the result in lower CO2 emissions . From 1 January 2025, manufacturers will be fined 95 euros for each gram over the 95 set as the maximum limit, to be multiplied by the total amount of cars sold in the year. A financial drama that European manufacturers, represented by the trade association Acea, quantify in 16 billion euros in fines , of which 13 billion relating to cars and 3 for commercial vehicles. Now Sigrid de Vries, secretary general of Acea , seems to be politely counterattacking: on specific proposals, Ursula von der Leyen will have to at least provide an answer.

How critical the situation is is perfectly illustrated by both proposed solutions put forward by ACEA. The first provides that, for the imposition of fines, the average of emissions is calculated not on 100% of the vehicles produced by a manufacturer, but on 90% in 2025 and 95% in 2026. The second proposal provides for transforming the annual limit into a cumulative objective to be achieved by 2029. Both proposals start from the consideration that the prescriptions imposed so far arise from an incorrect assessment of the take-off of electric car sales in Europe. To achieve the objectives, a percentage of battery-powered vehicles oscillating between 20% and 25% of the total should be sold. In 2024, electric vehicles reached 14% . For a pure exercise in algebraic sum, to quickly shift the average in favor of BEVs, the only option is to reduce the production of vehicles with traditional engines. For ACEA, this would mean a reduction in production of more than 2 million cars and 700,000 vans , which would be equivalent to the closure of eight factories and the resulting loss of jobs . ACEA recently cited a report by S&P Automotive according to which the most optimistic forecast is that sales of electric vehicles in the EU will grow by 40% this year, taking the market share to 19.7%; compared to 15% in January.