Antonio Filosa and Olivier Blume, the heads of car manufacturers Stellantis and Volkswagen, have called for the introduction of a CO2 bonus for vehicles manufactured in Europe, in an op-ed published on Thursday 5 February by the French newspaper Les Échos and the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
In their opinion, such a bonus would guarantee “fair competition” and protect European industry. “Manufacturers who base the majority of their production in Europe must receive support that at least compensates for the additional costs associated with localisation”, they said.
They point to “competitive pressure” from Chinese manufacturers’ exports, which are increasing in number and at very attractive prices. They believe that any vehicle meeting the criteria of this label “should be eligible for benefits, such as purchase subsidies or privileged access to public procurement, in order to create intelligent incentives for the sustainable development of European production”.
In December, the European Commission proposed to create a new regulatory category for small electric cars ‘Made in Europe’, which were sold for less than €20,000 and complied with CO2 emission standards (see EUROPE 13708/2, 13773/9). (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)