European car manufacturers have urged the EU to ease the 2035 ban on the sale of combustion-engine vehicles, asking for exemptions for alternative fuels.
Industry association ACEA submitted its request to the European Commission, arguing that the EU’s carbon reduction targets are based on “outdated assumptions” and need revision.
“The current CO2 emissions regulation has established a very rigid trajectory,” said Sigrid de Vries, ACEA’s Director General, adding that EU goals are “no longer realistically achievable.”
The existing law includes a planned review of its measures and impacts in 2026, but the Commission has committed to addressing the issue sooner due to mounting pressure.
Under current rules, manufacturers must gradually cut vehicle emissions and completely stop selling new combustion-engine cars by 2035.
ACEA, representing major automakers such as BMW and Stellantis, proposed adjustments that would soften the expected CO2 reductions while providing relief to a financially strained sector.
Suggested measures include awarding carbon credits to manufacturers for scrapping old vehicles and granting “super credits” for selling small electric cars. ACEA highlighted the low profitability of small electric vehicles as a challenge to their production.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently announced plans to support the expansion of small electric vehicle manufacturing across Europe.
As part of its proposals, ACEA has called for vehicles using alternative fuels, such as biofuels or synthetic fuels, to be classified as zero-emission and permitted beyond 2035.
The NGO Transport and Environment criticised these suggestions, calling them a “shameful wishlist” that would “undermine” the EU’s climate and industrial policies. “This would completely derail the investments Europe needs to stay competitive in the electric vehicle market,” said its director, Lucien Mathieu.
