Automakers make a final effort to ease the EU's 2035 ban on petrol vehicles.

Europe’s automotive industry and its key automotive manufacturers are pressuring the EU to expand and soften its planned 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales. The final decision is expected to come at the end of the year. 

The European Union will be reviewing their vision on December 10 and is set to draft a broader rescue plan for the sector, but regular demands from the member states and industry risks are constantly pushing the date forward. 

The EU's environmental Green Deal has aimed to switch all new cars to electric mobility by 2035, which was formed in the year 2023 as a pivotal step in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. However, within 2 years of setting the objective, there are constant calls happening to revise the target. 

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) expressed his views in a policy paper and said, “Our sector has received the most difficult target as earlier it was preconceived as one of the easiest to decarbonise the emissions. 

But the reality has made things more difficult, as Chinese automakers are providing cheap electric models in European markets, projecting a fear of mass layoffs and factory closures.”

The head of France’s Plateforme automotive industry group Luc Chatel also expressed serious concerns and said, “Things are not working in our favour as this sector has become a victim of political and dogmatic preferences, not the ones according to advanced technologies."