European Automobile Manufacturers' Association Calls for Revision of Emissions Targets Amid Slumping Battery-Electric Vehicle Sales
The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) has issued a call for a revision of the European Union's emissions targets for combustion engine-powered cars, citing the continued decline in sales of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in the region. According to ACEA, new car registrations in the EU dropped by 18.3% in August 2024, with BEV registrations plummeting by 43.9% to 92,627 units.
The association says transitioning to zero emissions is "very challenging" and that current rules fail to reflect the shift in geopolitical and economic climate over the past few years. The ACEA maintains that the inability of current rules to adapt to real-world developments further chisels out the sector's competitiveness, potentially unleashing "multi-billion euro fines" on manufacturers.
Other major automobile manufacturing regions pose great challenges to the companies, and ACEA warns that unless such measures are made, redundant cuts in production and jobs will be witnessed alongside a weak supply and value chain in Europe. The European Union is appealed upon by the urgent and meaningful action to bring about the reversal of the vehicle sales trend and regain industry competitiveness in Europe.
The ACEA has also been calling for a review of the CO2 regulations for cars and trucks, as well as the targeted secondary legislation regarding the drop in BEV sales. It's now prepared to engage in a temporary relief package for 2025 emissions reductions on cars and vans.
Plug-in hybrids recorded a decline of 22.3% in registrations, while hybrid electric vehicles were the only group in which registrations were up to 6.6%. Registration for petrol cars declined by 17.1%, while those running on diesel declined by 26.4% during the period.
Appellations to insert emission goal revisions into the ACEA at such a time when the EU forces the industry to reduce emissions for 2025 come at such a time when this association notes that the EU needs to regain its competitive position in the automobile world market by making an increase in the sales of BEV.
