The war over automotive standards continues in Brussels as manufacturers and equipment makers disagree on the need to delay tightening CO2 rules2 Scheduled for 2025, another battle is being fought on the battery front: measuring their carbon footprint. A major industrial sector, European flagship companies and 12.9 million jobs are at stake.
On the first point, it was a blank, unsigned note from Renault and the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) that opened the public debate. It is positioned – as confirmed by a press release from ACEA – in favour of a two-year moratorium on the planned tightening of the so-called “CAFE” (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standard. This limits the average level of CO emissions.2 per kilometre per car sold, with a heavy fine for manufacturers who exceed it.
However, in 2025, the current standard, in force since 2021, will be tightened by 15%. A difficult, if not impossible, target to achieve, say carmakers, while sales are slow and electric cars, more expensive than combustion cars, are increasingly less subsidised by the State. According to calculations by Jefferies bank, the fine could represent between 2.6 and 7.3 billion euros for the Volkswagen group alone, which has 26% of the European market.
Strategic options
Manufacturers, however, remain deeply divided over the delay of this new regulation or the sanctions that accompany it. Those, like Stellantis, who say they are prepared and organised to meet the CAFE target by 2025, believe that it would not be fair to relax a timetable that required strategic decisions. Stellantis, for example, temporarily stopped selling MPVs (Citroën Berlingo, Opel Combo or Peugeot Rifter) with internal combustion engines, selling only their electric version, while Renault sold Kangoos in droves and gained market share.
“From the point of view of the competition so dear to the European Union, it would be surreal to change the rules now”“Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, told Agence France-Presse at the Chantilly (Oise) Concours d’Elegance on Sunday 15 September, adding: “Everyone has known the rules for a long time, everyone has had time to prepare and that is why we are now competing. » He says his group will respect the rule without buying credits from others, such as Tesla or Volvo.
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