Overview
- Vice President Stéphane Séjourné outlined compromise directions that include specific rules for vans, relaxed standards for lighter electric cars, and purchase incentives tied to European manufacturing content.
- At the Paris gathering of manufacturers and suppliers, the French auto lobby urged flexibility or a delay to the 2035 zero‑emission mandate, citing a PFA study showing 40,000 jobs lost since 2020 and up to 75,000 more at risk by 2035.
- Electric models account for roughly 16% of sales across Europe, while in France fully electric cars reached about one in four new purchases in October, boosted by company fleets and social leasing.
- Suppliers face acute strain from weak volumes and Chinese competition, with recent job‑cut plans at firms such as Valeo, Michelin, Forvia, Bosch and ZF, and Mahle warning its Moselle plant could close, threatening 186 positions.
- The Commission plans to present measures in December, with media reporting a possible approval of range‑extender systems, while the 2035 zero‑tailpipe rule remains in force for new sales only.