It had already more or less been decided by the EU that no new cars with a ‘traditional’ fuel engine may be sold after 2035. Some manufacturers, especially those who have to ‘live’ on supercars with roaring and howling 8 or 12 cylinder engines, such as Ferrari and Maserati, were not happy with that. They have lobbied for a long time to get an exceptional position at the EU.
No new ICEs in the EU after 2035, except…
Well, recently the EU decision that no new cars with a fuel engine may be sold after 2035 has been finalized by ‘Brussels’ energized. And… an exception was indeed added to the decision, but not one that will be welcomed by brands such as Ferrari and Maserati.
… for ‘small’ car manufacturers
It has been determined that certain car manufacturers may continue to make and sell new vehicles with a fuel engine even after 2035. This exception applies to manufacturers who produce fewer than 1,000 vehicles per year. Please note: not for the European market, but in total.
Brands such as Ferrari and Maserati are therefore not included in this exception. Even if they were to sell less than 1000 cars per year within the EU, the scheme would still not apply to them, since they do produce (much) more than 1000 cars per year.
Who is this good news for? Well, think of supercar competitors such as Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Morgan and Donkervoort.
Gradually towards emission-free European fleet
The regulations for the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the EU specify a number of steps that will be taken between 2030 and 2035. For example, the CO2 emissions of new cars sold from 2030 must be 55 percent lower than in 2021.
In the meantime, many, especially the large, car brands and manufacturers have already decided to stop producing cars with fuel engines much earlier than that deadline.
