Perverse effect
According to him, this measure may trigger a perverse effect. Which ? A rush on petrol and diesel models just before the deadline, then a free fall market, unable to switch to electric.
But what does it offer as an alternative? Rather than a radical ban, the boss of Mercedes defends one “technologically neutral decarbonization “, that is to say to create a Incentive taxation, lower the charging cost and establish reinforced competitiveness in the face of Chinese brands. All without destabilizing the economy of a sector which he already considers under pressure.
A few days before this outing, Oliver Zipse, boss of BMW, had already planted the decor during the mixed half -yearly of his group. “”Putting all your eggs in the same basket is detrimental to a sector. “
Belgian automotive market: Volkswagen flies the show in BMW
Admittedly, BMW and Mini are not to be outdone on electric – 25 % of the group’s European sales are already on battery – but its CEO refuses the turn all-electrical imposed by the EU. It pleads for a technological mix where hydrogen, synthetic fuels and hybrids would still have their place. According to him, more than 250 million vehicles already in circulation in the EU could now reduce their emissions thanks to renewable fuels if only the regulatory framework and investments followed.
So this is a call of the foot that could influence European political bodies. These two close interventions should in any case have nothing to chance. They translate a common front of the European automotive industry as the revision approaches, provided for in the second half of 2025, of the text acting in the prohibition of new thermal engines.
