In addition to his role as CEO of Mercedes, multi-millionaire Swedish-German Ola Källenius will also be chairman of the association of European car brands. This makes him the most powerful man in the industry.
The multimillionaire and Mercedes' Swedish-German director, Ola Källenius, will now become the most powerful person in the European automotive industry.
As the new chairman of ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, he takes on a central position in an industry under pressure.
ACEA represents several of Europe's largest car brands, and Källenius will play a crucial role when the automotive industry in our latitudes has to compete with that of China and the USA.
The Mercedes boss's term as chairman begins in 2025, where he will have to address issues such as tighter emissions requirements and competition from Chinese car brands in particular.
Ola Källenius, who has been CEO of Mercedes for five years, continues his rise in the industry. He replaces Renault CEO Luca de Meo, who has been president of ACEA since 2022.
The organization, founded in 1991, includes 14 of Europe's largest car and truck manufacturers and works closely with 31 national industry associations. Volvo Cars and Stellantis have previously left ACEA.
But if the latest rumors are to be believed, the latter will return to the association, which the group left the same year that de Meo became chairman.
The automotive industry is facing significant challenges. The EU's tightening of emission limits could cost thousands of jobs while car sales fall.
In addition, Chinese manufacturers are pushing to gain access to the European market, including by building more factories in the EU.
Finally, the industry must deal with the ban on new cars with combustion engines, which the EU wants to introduce by 2035 at the latest. However, several car brands, subcontractors and, most recently, EU members have demanded that the ban be lifted again.
– Under my presidency, ACEA will focus on improving the regulatory conditions to strengthen our competitiveness in the digital and electric era.
– We will work for a market-driven transition towards reducing industry's CO2 emissions. And we will stand up for international trade that is free, fair and rules-based, says Ola Källenius in a press release .
One of Källenius' priorities will also be to ensure that European car production can remain competitive globally. There is widespread concern that production will move to China. But Källenius remains optimistic.
– I am convinced that the automotive industry in Europe has what it takes to continue to be successful in global competition.
