What does Tavares really think about electric cars? Le Monde report
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, is making public his doubts about the end of internal combustion engine car registrations in Europe. Porsche's Lutz Meschke has similar views. The Le Monde article
The chatter is heard and the tones become more heated. We knew that, behind the facade of unanimity in favor of the transition to electric cars, entire sectors of the automotive industry, including, but not limited to, German manufacturers, never stopped challenging this process initiated by the European Union. To this day, they have fought a close battle. Recent uncertainties looming over the automotive market, particularly sales of electric models, and the approach of crucial election deadlines, are clearly contributing to increasing their resistance to change.
PORSCHE AGAINST THE END OF THE ICE ENGINE
Porsche, an emblematic figure of the German automotive industry, is once again speaking out against the planned ban on combustion engines. At the beginning of 2023, the prestigious manufacturer launched a campaign to promote synthetic fuels. Surprisingly, the German government has made it a workhorse in its relations with Brussels, seeing this option as a possible way out of the all-electric market. This time, the taboo has been overturned. The ban on the marketing of combustion engines from 2035 is no longer an unattainable fact, says the Stuttgart company.
“I think it could be delayed,” said Lutz Meschke, Porsche's chief financial officer, at the presentation of the Macan, an SUV that will be produced exclusively in an electric version. In his opinion, the reduction of state subsidies – or even their abolition in Germany – and uncertainties over the sales of electric cars justify this prediction. It echoes the offensive waged in recent months by the far right and parts of the right against the European Union's Green Deal.
WHAT TAVARES THINKS ABOUT THE ELECTRIC CAR
Even Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis , has never hidden his disinterest in "watture", which has not prevented his group from planning investments of 40 billion euros between now and 2030. In the short term, this is the opinion public which risks compromising the objective of electrification of the market, observes this eminent automotive sector boss. “We must keep our eyes open to the outcome of the American and European elections,” he warned recently.
For Carlos Tavares, the choice will have to be between the "dogmatic progressives", who are in favor of promoting electric cars, and the "populists", who want to slow down. And the head of Stellantis, who wants to “make sure” that electrification “is the direction people want to go”, raises the alarm. At the same time, he advises voters to "take care of their freedom of movement", a hackneyed criticism against electric cars, dear to die-hard fans of combustion cars.
THE ROLE OF ELECTIONS IN AMERICA AND EUROPE
These small steps forward confirm that the topic of clean mobility has entered the political debate. It's a fact in the United States, where Donald Trump has turned the electric car into a repulsor, painting it as a Trojan horse for Chinese industry. On the other hand, Joe Biden, the outgoing Democratic president, has made it his priority to guarantee the future of Detroit's Big Three – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis – with public funding to support them.
The confrontation could intensify until the European elections in June, at the instigation of political forces such as the Rassemblement National (RN), which question the merits of the transition to electric cars. “Banning internal combustion engines in 2035 will have very serious consequences for employment in France,” said Jordan Bardella, president of the RN, in March 2023. Until “progressive” voices are raised – not necessarily dogmatic, whatever say Carlos Tavares – in defense of the roadmap adopted by the European Union.
(Extract from the eprcommunication press review)
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/tavares-meschke-dubbi-auto-elettriche/ on Sat, 10 Feb 2024 06:22:25 +0000.