As proposed, Euro 7 would raise the cost per vehicle to 1,000 euros for automakers and double that for consumers, DeMeo said.
Higher prices could lead to a 7-10% drop in new car sales and the closure of four Groupe Renault plants, for example, he said. He didn’t say what factories were at risk, but automakers are grappling with the question of how to scale back their internal-combustion powertrain business as they move to electric vehicles. there is
“By reorienting the huge investment in Euro 7 to make EVs more affordable, or accelerating electrification by, for example, using low-carbon fuels and reducing current fleet emissions, there is much more to come. We will be able to achieve excellent cost-effectiveness in this area,” he said.
De Meo will serve a two-year term as head of a group of rotating leaders among European-based automakers. He is taking over from Oliver Gypsse at his BMW.
ACEA faces challenges from the departure of Stellantis, which plans to host its own ‘mobility forum’ at the end of March with representatives of various stakeholders and representatives from Volvo.
De Meo confirmed that the automakers have left the group, saying his job is to strengthen ACEA’s credibility and “the impact we have on the debate.”
“We want to be candid and tell the truth, but it doesn’t have to be our truth,” he said. “We are optimistic that we can come together as an industry because we have so much in common.”