The German
auto industry
is calling for
stricter EU climate
requirements
to be delayed
as auto sales fell
to the lowest level
in nearly three decades.
Leading industry
and trade union
representatives
met with Chancellor
Angela Merkel, economy
minister Peter Altmaier,
and transport minister
Andreas Scheuer
on April 1, 2020.
“This not the time
to think about
further tightening
of the CO2
regulation,”
said Hildegard Müller,
president of in the
influential carmaker
lobby group VDA.
Analysts from the
Landesbank Baden-
Wurttemberg (LBBW)
expect 12% to 15%
fewer cars being sold
worldwide this year,
while manufacturers
may have to pay
15 billion euros
in fines to the EU
for failing to comply
with lower CO2 limits.
LBBW car analyst
Gerhard Wolf
proposed
suspending
fines for a year,
slowing down
the tightening
of CO2 emissions
fleet limits,
or introducing
a bonus system
to reward
progress on
green mobility.
New registrations
of cars on
German roads
plunged in March
2020 to the lowest in
almost three decades.
Sales tumbled 38%
year-on-year,
to just over 215,100,
according to data
from the KBA
vehicle licensing
authority.
“Necessary health policy
measures, like the massive
limits on public life,
closure of car dealerships
and limited ability to work
in the licensing offices”
had braked the car trade,
the VDA carmakers’
federation said.
Domestic demand
fell 30%.
Foreign orders
were down 37%.
January-March 2020 sales
were down 20% from
January-March 2019.
April 2020 will be worse.