Unrae, the new president is Pietrantonio of Mazda Italy

The new president of Unrae, the acronym that brings together foreign car manufacturers in Italy, has arrived. Roberto Pietrantonio of Mazda Italia will lead the association in the coming years. The appointment of the new president comes at a time of absolute stagnation in the car market, both in Italy and in Europe, with volumes structurally lower than in 2019 - the only area in the world to have lagged behind -, electrification that is advancing slowly and with difficulty, a European regulation on CO2 emissions that is being revised, yes, but without much opening with respect to the issue of blocking internal combustion engines until 2035.

"I take on the presidency of Unrae with a spirit of service and a deep sense of responsibility, taking over from my predecessor with the intention of continuing along the path traced, in the name of continuity and collaboration. My commitment will be aimed at promoting current and transparent communication and consolidating the role of the Association as an authoritative interlocutor in the automotive sector, always maintaining the high quality of the analyses and proposals that we will carry forward in the name of institutional unity" says Pietrantonio. At the same time as the election, the association announced the entry - a sign of the times - of Byd, Omoda&Jaecoo, Rossocorsa, China car company and Schmitz Cargobull.

Italy and Europe are effectively stuck at the 2024 registration levels. Unrae predicts a 2025 still in the doldrums with a small recovery only starting from the 1.7 million registrations forecast for 2027. Therefore, still a long way to go just to recover the levels of the pre-Covid phase.

In a context of tough debate regarding European regulations on future mobility and decarbonization, Unrae has always maintained a very open position on electrification, contesting the fact that the car crisis was in fact generated by the Green Deal. On the political front, however, there are two "workhorses" of foreign producers: programmatic support for demand and the fiscal issue. Unrae is asking for a three-year plan to support the market, to avoid a waiting effect induced by the announcements - the latest is the one relating to the 600 million diverted from the Pnrr but without any application. On taxation, then, there are two issues: an intervention on the deductibility of VAT, to be brought to 100% as in most European countries, and the possibility of increasing the deductibility of costs.

The National Union of Foreign Vehicle Representatives also celebrated its 75th anniversary. In 1950, Unrae recalls, "only 124 foreign-made vehicles were sold in Italy, equal to a market share of 0.16%. Twelve years later, the members became 19 and 96,854 foreign-branded cars were registered in Italy, with a market share of 15.26%. Today, there are 45 companies associated with UNRAE with 63 brands."