As already assumed earlier, the Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has re-elected Ola Källenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, for a second term as ACEA President in 2026.
Källenius is also setting the tone for his second year at the helm of the association: Competitiveness and market-driven decarbonisation high on agenda,” states the headline of the press release announcing his re-election.
“It is our strong conviction that decarbonisation goals can only be achieved when paired with a strong agenda for global competitiveness and value chain resilience,” said Källenius. “This has driven our work in 2025 and will continue to do so in 2026.”
Car package
The EU Commission’s upcoming ‘car package,’ which includes the revision of CO2 standards for cars and vans, legislation on environmentally friendly company fleets, and the Automobile and Bus Act, will be “a defining moment for the EU to adopt a more pragmatic course,” according to the ACEA. In fact, there is likely to be a softening of the 2035 CO2 targets, as has long been demanded by the industry and Källenius himself.
“Flexibilities, technology openness, and targeted policies for cars, vans, trucks, and buses remain essential to get the green transformation and Europe’s industrial competitiveness back on track,” added Källenius. “We have high expectations, as there is a lot at stake.”
This so-called ‘car package’ was initially scheduled to be presented by the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, 10 December. Still, it’s likely to be postponed until after the Christmas holiday break because all parties within the commission aren’t on the same page yet.
BMW CEO with a partly different message
Meanwhile, the CEOs of the European car manufacturers are practically stumbling over each other in Brussels in their relentless efforts to influence the Commission. Lobbyists are working overtime.
One CEO, Oliver Zipse of the BMW Group and former President of ACEA, had a different message. “We have the best trade links in the entire world. Why don’t we take advantage of them?” The CEO of the Bavarian car manufacturer is more concerned about import tariffs in Europe (on Chinese and American cars) than about the EU’s strict ICE ban in 2035.
Interviewed in Brussels by various media, Zipse indicated that a large share of the SUVs BMW sells in Europe are imported from the US or China. This ‘trade war’ is costing BMW at least €1 billion this year.
“It’s a rather bizarre situation: we pay the highest import tariffs (31%) on our electric Minis that we produce in China, while the Chinese brands are switching to plug-in hybrids or even ICE vehicles to avoid the taxes. Isn’t that the world turned upside down? The best way to get affordable cars into the market is to cancel all import taxes, especially on the European ones made abroad.”
Zipse is also worried about the EU’s plan, part of the car package, to require that 70% of the parts used come from European sources, meaning only EU members. “How on earth are we going to determine if a part is ‘European’? The cloud, AI applications, battery technology, and autonomous driving can’t be developed and produced properly if they can only be sourced inside Europe.”
Trade links and hydrogen
“Do you know what the most essential advantage has been for Europe these last hundred years?” Zipse asked. “Not that we are the best or brightest, but that we have the best trade connections with the entire world. Here in Europe, we can take advantage of an American cloud service or Chinese batteries. In the US or China, they can’t. Why don’t we see and use this more as an advantage?”
Zipse also talked about the chip crisis at Nexperia. “If you build 10,000 cars every day, as we do, and they have on average 16,000 different parts, you know that supply is of the highest importance. We know that we have to be prepared; that’s why we have at least two suppliers for the most crucial parts of our cars.”
Finally, according to the BMW CEO, being totally independent in producing the cars of the future isn’t possible. Surely not when we’re talking BEVs. That’s why BMW continues to invest in hydrogen technology. In 2028, the first hydrogen-driven (FCEV) BMW should be available at the dealers.
“I would like to have a thriving European battery industry, but to realize that is not that simple. That’s why the car industry can’t afford to focus solely on BEVs. If energy independence is our main target, the fuel cell is a valuable alternative. Hydrogen can be produced worldwide. In two or three years, we will have a very different debate about how we can and will achieve our climate targets,” Zipse concluded.
