Mercedes' Swedish managing director Ola Källenius is now demanding that the EU drop stricter CO2 requirements from 1 January 2025.
Mercedes faces major challenges when the EU tightens the rules for CO2 emissions from new cars next year.
With the new limits, it will be difficult for car manufacturers to avoid stalls that can run into billions of kroner.
The rules lower the permitted CO2 emissions from 116 grams per kilometer to 93.6 grams, and many car brands will not be able to meet the requirements due to a drop in demand for electric cars.
The German car manufacturer Mercedes may be among the hardest hit. Sales of electric cars have declined, and this makes it difficult for the company to meet the stricter environmental regulations. Several car manufacturers, including Renault, Volkswagen and BMW, have already pointed out the problem and called for a reconsideration of the upcoming CO2 targets.
Mercedes' managing director, Ola Källenius, has now also commented on the outlook for the billion stalls.
READ ALSO: German minister demands strict requirements for car brands removed
He wants a debate to be held on how the regulation is handled in Europe. In an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt he said:
– We must talk about CO2 regulation in Europe. The EU Commission's shoes were too optimistic, which is now obvious.
Källenius emphasizes that it is necessary to take a realistic approach, as electric cars are not currently selling to the extent that the car factories had envisioned.
According to him, the interest from customers is simply too low for the goals to be achieved with the current technology and market situation.
To help stimulate sales of electric cars, German politicians have proposed new economic incentives.
Among other things, a scrap premium corresponding to SEK 46,000 will be introduced for those who buy a new electric car. While those who choose a used electric car can get up to DKK 23,670 in subsidies.
With this form of support, the German government hopes to be able to help the car industry meet the new requirements. But the government has also stressed that there are limits to how much you want to interfere in the affairs of private companies.
Despite these incentives, several car manufacturers still fear that the upcoming rules could lead to significant stalls.
If sales of electric cars do not take off, several companies, including Mercedes, will find it difficult to manage within the new limits for CO2 emissions. This means that they risk having to pay large sums to the EU in the form of fines, which will put further pressure on the car manufacturers' already strained finances.
The case is being discussed at an automotive summit in Berlin, where the German car brands, including Mercedes, meet with politicians to discuss the situation.
Here, among other things, they will look at possible solutions to avoid the extensive stalls that could affect several car manufacturers if the EU's new CO2 requirements are maintained. And there are indications of that. Read more about it here .
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