Source: European Parliament
The CO2 emission standards for new cars and vans[1], including a 100% emission reduction target from 2035 onwards , provide long-term certainty and predictability for investors, while allowing sufficient lead time for a fair transition .
They will drive the transition towards zero-emission mobility and support the competitiveness of the EU industry in view of global trends, and are essential to deliver the EU objective of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
It is clear that manufacturers need to act to reduce their emissions and comply in 2025, but it is premature to draw any conclusion on specific compliance situations.
These targets were agreed by the co-legislators in 2019 and confirmed in 2023, providing manufacturers with the necessary lead-time to set-up their compliance strategies, which may include selling more zero-emission cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids, but also deploying smaller and more efficient conventional vehicles.
Several European manufacturers are launching new and cheaper electric car models, which should increase the attractiveness of zero-emission vehicles for a broader audience.
The President of the Commission has convened on 30 January 2025 a Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the Car Industry in Europe to urgently address the current challenges and design concrete strategies and solutions to ensure this key industry has a solid future in Europe[2].
As part of the dialogue, solutions will be identified to safeguard industry’s capacity to invest, by looking at possible flexibilities to make sure the EU industry remains competitive, without lowering the overall ambition of the 2025 targets[3].
The dialogue will feed into an EU industrial action plan for the automotive sector, to be presented on 5 March 2025.