European truck-makers urged the EU to delay or suspend stiff emission reduction fines, as car producers look set to win a much-clamoured-for reprieve from Brussels.
According to a report by The European Commission is expected to do away with a 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars today, as part of a package of reforms in support of the auto industry, which lorry producers fear will neglect them.
They point in particular at penalties for failing to green their fleets in line with climate targets set by the European Union.
The commission allowed automakers more time to reach their own targets earlier this year — in the face of competition from China, US tariffs and a slow uptake of electric vehicles.
Christian Levin, the head of Swedish lorry producer Scania, said the industry faces about €2 billion (RM9.5 billion) in annual fines if the rules are not changed.
Such penalties do “not make sense”, Levin told AFP in an interview in Brussels, saying he hoped for a “grace period” or “a delay” in application.
He said sanctions were initially useful to spur investments in production capacity, but that companies were now past that point.
Scania for example can make 20,000 electric trucks a year but in 2025 produced only about 1,000 as buyers are not forthcoming.
“We did the homework. We developed the vehicles. We would love to sell them, but we need their help,” Levin said, referring to the EU.
