The automobile manufacturers are offering Reyes Maroto an end to his term in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism with a complete battery of requests, some of them in the form of serious warnings. To the already traditional claims to improve the second installment of the Perte of the electric vehicle and to help with tax incentives for the purchase of electrified utility vehicles, a new one has been added today: that the Government of Spain does not support the new European anti-pollution regulations, Euro 7. The This standard would entail significant limitations on pollutant emissions from combustion engines and the sector wants it not to be a traumatic solution.
The claim has come from the hand of Wayne Griffiths, president of Seat and Cupra. "It makes no sense to support the Euro 7 regulations as a country," he proclaimed today at an event organized by the Anfac manufacturers' association, of which he is also president, held in Madrid. Griffiths explained that this regulation, if the Commission's proposal comes to fruition, will have direct implications in the pocket of Spanish drivers. "Cars are going to rise in price by an average of 2,000 euros and it will affect the smallest vehicles, which are the best sellers," he predicted. Seat's top executive also warned that "we are at real risk of closing factories and losing thousands of jobs in Spain."
“You have to be pragmatic –he added-; We are not against euro 7, but we do demand deadlines that can be met. In an orderly and reliable manner”, Griffiths requested in the presence of Minister Maroto and the new commissioner for the Perte of electric and connected vehicles, José María López. He also cited that "while Europe demands restrictions to reach zero emissions, the US and China encourage" the sector.
This request not to support the Euro 7 regulations was already made directly to Pedro Sánchez by the new CEO of the Volkswagen group, Oliver Blume, in the meeting they held a few days ago in La Moncloa.
The anti-pollution regulations have to be approved unanimously by the EU countries, so that if Spain, as a power in the automobile sector, expresses its doubts, it could soften in some terms. The proposal contemplates, for example, reducing nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel engines from 80 to 60 mg/km, which could probably dictate its early end. Its entry into force is scheduled for July 1, 2025 and the objective is to reduce these total emissions by 35% in 2035.
"We need a new industrial policy" and "that the zero-emission vehicle is part of the solution and not the problem", explained Wayne Griffiths at the sectoral event. “We need more balanced mobility,” he added. To achieve it, in his opinion, the Government should "help" make electrified cars more accessible, "encourage the purchase" of this type of vehicle and "support the charging infrastructure" more intensively. "We have to speed up, we have to act now," he concluded.
Griffiths is not the first representative of the automobile sector to demand that the Government oppose the anti-pollution regulations that Brussels is preparing. A few days ago, the CEO of Renault, Luca de Meo, also referred to the possible closure of factories, which would have negative effects on various industrial centers in Spain.
