On Monday 7 October, European Stellantis Group distribution networks for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Lancia, Jeep, Opel and Peugeot collectively published an open letter addressed to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In it, they express their serious concerns about the European Union’s targets for reducing CO2 emissions by 2025 (see EUROPE 13483/14, 13491/2).
The distributors point out that the lack of affordable battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and the insufficient charging infrastructure across Europe create a significant disparity between EU regulatory requirements and market realities. The industry’s focus on top-of-the-range BEV models has contributed to high costs, discouraging mass market take-up and leaving the market unable to achieve the necessary targets in the time available.
According to the distributors, the industry is not collectively prepared to achieve the volume of electric vehicle sales needed to comply with the forthcoming standards. Faced with the risk of an economic slowdown, distributors are urging the EU to consider legislative changes that would favour a more gradual transition.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/dr1 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)