Once again, a top manager in the automotive sector sounds the alarm bell. Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa calls on EU authorities to take more action to protect the European car industry against outside competition, particularly from upcoming Chinese rivals.
“The European targets on CO2 emissions are unrealistic,” claims Filosa. “Excessive regulations lead to higher costs, especially for smaller cars, making volumes collapse and endangering the future of the whole automotive industry,” he added, talking last Saturday to the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore and the French business paper Les Echos.
Filosa urges the European Commission to show more flexibility regarding emission targeting. That commission has already relaxed the implementation of these emission targets recently.
Realizing a turnaround
Filosa spoke with the two aforementioned newspapers in the wake of the IAA motor and mobility show, which has now begun in Munich. Filosa took over from former Stellantis CEO Tavares, who was ousted in December last year.
He must achieve a turnaround for the world’s fourth-largest car manufacturing group as soon as possible. Profits, profit margins, and production have waned at Stellantis in the recent past.
The group represents iconic brands, such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and others on this side of the Atlantic, as well as Chrysler, Jeep, RAM, and others in the US.
The group is in dire straits, suffering from Trump’s import tariffs and an overcapacity in most of its European factories. On top of that comes the increasing competition with new Chinese rivals.
Stellantis has already anticipated that by stepping into one of the more successful young Chinese car manufacturers, Leapmotor, it will represent and distribute its Chinese products throughout Europe.
Join the queue
Filosa is definitely not the first addressing the EU political leaders. Earlier on, there was BMW boss Oliver Zipse, at the time, he was also president of the European car manufacturers association ACEA. Still, he reiterated these words at the recent iX3 launch in Munich.
Stellantis Chairman John Elkann and former Renault boss Luca de Meo pleaded in the same way, and more recently, current ACEA President Ola Källenius has also turned to the EU institutions for more support.
It’s certainly no coincidence that Filosa puts his weight also on the balance; this week, there’s a scheduled meeting with EU Commission President von der Leyen about the future of the automotive industry in Europe. The industry is increasing the pressure.
