The European Union could be about to throw the plans of carmakers into disarray with rumours from Brussels that the bloc could be about to push back its combustion engine ban to 2040.
The whispers suggest that manufacturers have already been informed of the plans, but the European Union hasn’t yet confirmed the story. New cars typically take between five and eight years to develop, so many carmakers will have been expecting their new launches over the next year or two to be the last generation of combustion engines they would have on sale.
Indeed, many firmly established badges have already phased out petrol power, though companies like Porsche and Lamborghini are said to be back-pedalling on plans to go full electric with their smaller model line-ups.
A delay of the combustion ban won’t necessarily mean a free for all on petrol and diesel engines, though – EU bosses are keen to maintain tough targets for carmakers, with up to 90% of new cars expected to be electric by 2035 and plans to enforce all-electric company car fleets ahead of the 2040 deadline.
The move would put the EU at odds with the UK, which has imposed an even tougher deadline of 2030 for a ban on sales of purely combustion engine driven cars. The so-called zero emission vehicle mandate, which calls for an increasing proportion of new cars to be zero emission, has already caused headaches for carmakers in the UK.
Seven member states are said to be pushing the European Commission to delay its proposed 2035 ban, including Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, all countries heavily dependent on the automotive industry.
There are fears in the automotive industry and wider afield over underdeveloped electric charging infrastructure, sluggish EV sales and the rise of cheaper Chinese imports. Sigrid de Vries, boss of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said that the car industry wasn’t called for the abandonment of electrification, but that “a course correction is urgently needed” on the policy.
At the same time, the heads of both Volvo and Polestar in Sweden have urged the EU to maintain its current course, warning that slowing down on electrification would actually allow China to cement its leadership in the technology.
EU bosses have already tried implementing 45% tariffs on EVs imported from China, introduced at the end of 2024, but it has barely slowed the growth of the challenger brands that see the EU and the UK as markets ripe for growth.
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