German automobile industry tasks EU on climate target

 

BERLIN – The European Commission should review EU climate targets for newly registered cars quickly, an industry body for the German car manufacturing sector said on Friday.

A review currently planned for 2026 must be carried out a year earlier in 2025, the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) said.

The push for a faster review comes as manufacturers realize they are likely to be unable to meet the EU climate targets in many cases with high fines possible for the already struggling European car industry.

Specifically, the review concerns so-called fleet limits. These set a limit for the carbon emissions of cars that may not be exceeded on average by all vehicles registered in the European Union in any year.

Car manufacturers must pay a fine for emitting too much CO2. This limit is currently 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre, per vehicle, and it is set to be decreased in the coming years.

The fact that these EU climate targets are unlikely to be achieved is partly due to the fact that demand for electric vehicles in the bloc is currently falling short of expectations. Action on climate change in the transport sector can only succeed if the necessary charging infrastructure is in place, the VDA said.

The chairman of German carmaker Volkswagen’s supervisory board Hans Dieter Pötsch has called on the EU to relax CO2 emission performance standards.

“Politicians have set targets for the industry without the necessary infrastructure being in place and without thinking about whether customers will go along with them,” Pötsch said.