Brussels, 5 March 2025
ACEA: Robust action essential to put transition back on track and turn focus to long-term decarbonisation strategy
The European automotive industry recognises the pragmatic turn in the Commission’s Action Plan amid global market turmoil but cautions that key elements are still missing.
European vehicle manufacturers are committed to zero-emission mobility, having already invested hundreds of billions of euro into the transition. However, as market data demonstrates, manufacturers alone cannot make the transition happen at the pace required by EU law. Ambitious actions to boost infrastructure, demand incentives, and measures to reduce manufacturing costs are needed for cars, vans, trucks, and buses.
“The Action Plan identifies many key fields where immediate work is needed. The proposed flexibility to meet CO2 targets in the coming years is a welcome first step towards a more pragmatic approach to decarbonisation dictated by market and geopolitical realities. It holds the promise of some breathing space for car and van makers, provided the much-needed demand and charging infrastructure measures now also actually kick-in,” stated Sigrid de Vries, Director General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
“Nonetheless, despite outlining several promising measures to boost the rollout of infrastructure and uptake of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles, this vehicle segment is still missing explicit commitment to launch the review of CO2 standards in 2025, including an urgent assessment of enabling conditions,” added de Vries.
ACEA welcomes the Action Plan’s recognition of the need to streamline regulation, work on regulatory simplification, and take steps to enhance Europe’s competitive edge in other fields, such as autonomous driving.
ACEA stands ready to continue the dialogue with the European Commission to shape a comprehensive long-term decarbonisation strategy and ensure a more resilient, competitive, sustainable European automotive industry.
The European automotive industry recognises the pragmatic turn in the Commission’s Action Plan amid global market turmoil but cautions that key elements are still missing.
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 16 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
About the EU automobile industry
- 13.2 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 10.3% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €383.7 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €106.7 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7.5% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €72.8 billion in R&D spending annually, 33% of EU total
Source – ACEA
Transport & Environment: EU Auto Plan is a major concession to industry – it must be the last
Brussels, March 5, 2025
T&E reaction to Automotive Plan: Positive steps on fleets, but the weakening of CO₂ targets and vague support for battery production will see Europe fall further behind China.
Today’s EU Automotive Plan must mark a line in the sand for concessions on car industry climate targets, green group T&E has said. The European Commission plan contains crucial measures to boost demand for European EVs including a law on greening corporate fleets. But the decision to give carmakers two extra years to comply with the 2025 car CO₂ targets undermines the single greatest incentive for EU carmakers to catch up in the race to electrify.
While the plan contains vague measures on encouraging national incentives schemes and social leasing for EVs, T&E said these would be offset by the weakening of the 2025 CO₂ targets. The weaker targets would lead to carmakers selling up to 880,000 fewer electric cars between 2025-2027 than under the current target and would remove pressure on the industry to roll out cheaper EV models.
T&E said lawmakers must stand firm against further pressure to change the car CO₂ standards for 2030 and 2035 when the EU conducts a review of the legislation. Cars, vans, trucks and buses are responsible for 22% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.
Julia Poliscanova, senior director, vehicles & emobility, at T&E: “The car industry is already calling for further concessions before the ink is even dry on this plan. But tariffs and other global headwinds will not be alleviated by slowing down electrification. This will only give China an even greater lead on electric cars. This EU plan must mark a line in the sand if the European industry is to finally catch up.”
The Commission said it is exploring support for battery production in the EU, as well as local content requirements. But this is too little too late. At least 100 GWh of battery capacity was cancelled last year, as European producers struggle to compete with global competition, subsidies elsewhere and the lack of a level playing field. The EU will also consider giving financial support to battery recycling, an industry which has huge potential to reduce mineral imports but is struggling to scale up in Europe.
T&E welcomed the announcement that any support for battery production would be contingent on overseas investors sharing skills and technology with EU companies – as European manufacturers have been required to do in China for decades. But the vague announcement on European content requirements on battery cells and components lacks urgency or resolve.
Julia Poliscanova said: “The age of innocence about China’s state-backed battery industry must come to an end. If the EU is serious about this clean tech being produced in Europe, financial support focused on scaling and local content requirements are needed now. Three years after the US IRA, the time for reflection is over. This support should be open to all producers, but foreign companies must be required to share their knowledge just as European carmakers had to do.”
The Commission will propose an EU law on greening corporate fleets, according to a separate Communication published today. Legislation to electrify large company fleets would boost the competitiveness of European carmakers, which sell 62% of their vehicles in the corporate market. T&E analysis has found fleet electrification targets could guarantee demand for more than 2 million electric cars for EU manufacturers in 2030 – half of the EV sales, on average, that they would need to meet their binding 2030 CO₂ emissions targets.
Corporate cars are the EU’s largest automotive market with about 60% of new sales going into this segment. But despite its high potential to support the European automotive sector in its transition to electric, this market is hardly electrifying faster than private households (14.3% vs 13.6%). Binding electrification targets for large fleets would clearly support EU car manufacturers’ investments in electrification while bringing almost 7 million more affordable EVs onto the used car market by 2035 for private buyers, according to T&E analysis.
Stef Cornelis, director of electric fleets at T&E, said: “It’s a big deal that the EU will this year propose a law to accelerate the electrification of company cars and the logistics sector. This is not only the right decision to cut emissions fast, but it will strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and support carmakers in their transition. The EU needs to propose a regulation setting binding EV targets for large companies. Any delay will deprive battery-makers and the charging industry of the investment guarantee that they need in the coming years.”
Source – T&E
BDI zum Automotive Action Plan der Europäischen Kommission
Holger Lösch, stellvertretender BDI-Hauptgeschäftsführer, äußert sich zum Automotive Action Plan der Europäischen Kommission: „Aktionsplan ist ein richtiger Schritt”
- „Dieser Aktionsplan für die Automobilindustrie ist ein richtiger Schritt. Mehr Flexibilität beim Erreichen der CO₂-Flottenziele ist sinnvoll, um die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der europäischen Automobilbranche zu sichern. Dafür leistet der Ansatz, Herstellern drei Jahre Zeit zu geben, einen ersten aber noch unzureichenden Beitrag. In dieser wirtschaftlich herausfordernden Lage müssen wir zusätzliche Belastungen für die Automobilindustrie vermeiden und Investitionen nicht weiter einschränken.
- Die EU-Kommission hat recht, wenn sie weitere Schwerpunkte wie automatisiertes Fahren, den Ausbau der Ladeinfrastruktur und die verlängerte Lkw-Mautbefreiung für Nullemissions-Lkw setzt. Doch wir brauchen auch eine Regulierung, die Antriebs- und Molekülwende gleichermaßen fördert. Dafür muss die EU-Kommission ihre Zusage für eine technologieoffene Überprüfung der CO₂-Flottenregulierungen rasch einlösen, etwa über eine neue Fahrzeugkategorie für CO₂-neutrale Kraftstoffe und eine stärkere Rolle von PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) über 2035 hinaus. Die Überprüfung der beiden Regulierungen muss noch in diesem Jahr erfolgen.
- Die EU-Kommission muss ihre Pläne jetzt zügig umsetzen und weitere Maßnahmen vorlegen. Unverständlich bleibt, warum die CO₂-Regulierung für schwere Nutzfahrzeuge unberücksichtigt bleibt. Ohne einen kohärenten Ansatz ist weder die Transformation der Automobilindustrie noch die Dekarbonisierung des Straßenverkehrs möglich. Zudem muss der automobile Mittelstand stärker einbezogen werden, um die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette abzubilden.
- Die EU-Kommission muss einen gravierenden Webfehler des Fit for 55-Pakets ausbessern: Zwar hat sie den ordnungspolitischen Rahmen für eine klimaneutrale Mobilität gesetzt, doch es gibt noch keinen stimmigen, technologieoffenen und wettbewerbsneutralen Gesamtansatz mit den richtigen Rahmenbedingungen. Entscheidend ist, die Maßnahmen in eine ganzheitliche Industriestrategie einzubetten.“
Source – BDI (per E-Mail)