This past Thursday, Reuters reported that Austrian Climate Minister, Leonore Gewesseler, said that the country would not back out of the agreement to support the EU law to phase out new sales of CO2-emmiting cars by 2035.
The EU's landmark law to accelerate Europe's shift to clean vehicles is currently on hold after Germany declared last-minute opposition, despite EU countries and lawmakers approving the law last year.
"Together with most of EU member states, we reached a compromise on the transition to admitting only 100% emission-free new cars. I see no reason to change this position. The EU needs to be a reliable partner," Gewessler said on her arrival at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Brussels.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer last week said he would oppose banning the combustion engine if the debate was escalated to EU country leaders.
An Austrian official confirmed, however, that responsibility for the government's position on the car CO2 law lies with the climate ministry, which already approved the EU deal.
EU country leaders will be meeting in Brussels later this week (23 March). The auto CO2 emissions law is not currently on the meeting's agenda.
The EU says the 2035 date is crucial because the average lifespan of new cars is 15 years – so a later ban would stop the EU reaching net zero emissions by 2050, the global milestone scientists say would avert disastrous climate change.
The EU law will not explicitly outlaw combustion engines, but by requiring all new cars sold from 2035 to have zero CO2 emissions, it will make it effectively impossible to sell new combustion engine cars.
Germany, backed by countries including Italy and the Czech Republic, wants assurances that new cars with internal combustion engines can still be sold after 2035, if they run on CO2-neutral fuels, so-called e-fuels.
Some carmakers are also pushing for the exemption, including sports car makers, such as Porsche who see e-fuels as a way to avoid weighing down their high-performance vehicles with batteries.
Cars.co.za will unveil its first Industry Report at DealerCon 2025 – a landmark event designed to analyse the past decade of seismic change in the motor industry and project what lies ahead.
For decades, buying a car has been as much about emotion as practicality. Shiny brochures, polished showroom floors and persuasive sales talk often overshadowed the cold, hard numbers of ownership. But today, where information is currency, consumers are no longer satisfied with glossy marketing – they want data, and they want it now.
According to a Reuters report, South Africa is engaged in discussions with Chinese automotive manufacturers to encourage local investment, with at least one company showing considerable interest in establishing production facilities in the country, a senior government official revealed on Wednesday.
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I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
On World EV Day, a survey of 6 700 South African car owners highlights growing interest in Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs).
The European automotive industry stands at a critical juncture. Fresh results from the EY research firm reveal that electric vehicles will capture over half of new light vehicle sales across Europe by 2032, marking a seismic shift in consumer preferences and industrial priorities.
Electric vehicles are older than many people realise. In the late nineteenth century, battery electric cars were common in cities because they were quiet, clean and easy to drive compared to petrol cars that needed hand cranking.
