The European Union has plans for (another) strict measure for car manufacturers. Only the manufacture of cars with CO2 emissions of less than 50 grams per kilometer should be strictly labeled as sustainable. From 2026 this will only apply to zero-emission cars. This may have consequences for investments in the automotive industry.
Ultimately, with a view to the ‘European Green Deal’, the European Union wants private investors to use their money for sustainable investments. Providers of financial products will soon have to be able to indicate which investments meet the sustainability criteria in order to prevent ‘greenwashing’, presenting a product as ‘sustainable’ when this is actually not the case. Ultimately, the intention is that things that the EU labels as ‘unsustainable’ fall out of favor with investors. Car manufacturers will therefore only be able to receive the designation ‘sustainable’ for the manufacture of cars that emit less than 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer. From 2026, the manufacture of plug-in hybrids must lose its sustainable status and that limit will be lowered to 0 grams of CO2 per kilometer.
According to ACEA, the European lobby club for car manufacturers, this could potentially lead to car manufacturers having a harder time raising the necessary investments for the transition to electric mobility. A spokesman says opposite Autonews that the industry fears that the new rule will deter investors while the sector badly needs investment. Furthermore, the standard for the sustainability classification is much lower than the average emission standard of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer that the EU has imposed on car manufacturers. Incidentally, almost every European car manufacturer is working hard on electrifying the model range. Whether they will actually be affected by this measure remains a guess.