The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (Acea) has called on EU policy makers and governments to channel their Covid-19 support into a green recovery.
Speaking at an online conference today, ACEA president and chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Michael Manley, said: “The Covid pandemic is clearly the biggest single risk ever to face the auto industry. It is adding massive pressures on our sector at a time when it is navigating fundamental technological shifts, as well as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.
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“We urgently need to find ways to pull through this with minimum damage to jobs and investments, while at the same time keeping a strong focus on the climate challenge.”
The coronavirus crisis has severely impacted the EU automotive industry, with production losses of more than 4m motor vehicles to date (worth around €122bn). Registrations of all vehicle types have plummeted over the first nine months of the year, with car sales predicted to drop by 25% in 2020.
“The European Commission’s recently-proposed 2030 Climate Plan will require massive additional investments from our side at this difficult time,” Manley continued. “However, our investments alone will never be enough. If we want zero-emission mobility to become a real option for all Europeans, we also need a vast network of charging points and re-fuelling stations right across the EU, coupled with economically-sustainable incentives.”
Henrik Henriksson, chief executive of Scania and chairman of ACEA’s commercial vehicle board, added: “Our industry is fully committed to carbon-neutral road freight transport by 2050 at the latest. This will bring radical change for the commercial vehicle industry, as well as the entire value chain in transport and logistics. We are ready to lead this transformation.”
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By GlobalData“Manufacturers have been investing in significant numbers of zero-emission trucks that will hit the market over the next few years. What we need member states to do now is to match our level of commitment by rolling out a network of truck-suitable charging stations.
“Backed by a fully coherent policy framework, making low- and zero-emission trucks the better option for transport operators, we can make this a success and turn the monumental challenges we are facing today into new opportunities.”
The ACEA recently united with 21 national associations, including the UK’s SMMT, to call for a free trade agreement between the UK and EU to avoid a ‘no-deal Brexit disaster’.
