In early March, Stellantis presented the Dare Forward 2030 agenda and how it plans to end sales of gasoline-powered cars in Europe by the end of the decade. Yes, all its brands will leave the old ICE in the next eight years: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel and Vauxhall. Some will discontinue gasoline and diesel engines sooner than others, but all will be purely electric by 2030.
That means Stellantis will be ready for a possible ban on sales of new ICE-powered cars in the European Union five years earlier than the announced 2035 cut-off date. Meanwhile, regulators still want to implement the Euro 7 standard to make gas-fueled cars more efficient in the EU and consequently less harmful to the environment. The new standard has been delayed several times and will likely not take effect until 2028. The question arises – why bother with EU7 if it will only be in force for a few years?
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Speaking to the media at the ongoing Paris Motor Show where the all-electric Jeep Avenger was unveiled, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the EU7 should be discontinued altogether. Why? So automakers can spend their money more wisely elsewhere. Of course, the 64-year-old Portuguese entrepreneur is referring to EV development. The window of opportunity is gradually closing in on greener combustion engines and the chief honcho believes it is too late to further change gasoline and diesel technology.
“From an industry perspective, we don’t need the EU7, because that would draw the resources we would otherwise have spent on electrification. Spending money to develop more one-steps for internal combustion for 2028 enforcement… that doesn’t make sense. rare for something for such a short time? The industry doesn’t need it, and that’s counterproductive.”
Carlos Tavares went on to say the EU7 has been pushed back several times – the most recent delay was last week – and this step should be skipped as the auto industry is “ready for electricity.” This is a different situation in the United States where the Dare Forward 2030 plan calls for sales of the Stellantis EV to reach 50 percent.
