The new standard is considered by many to be an unnecessary step.
Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said the mid-2025 deadline for the implementation of Euro 7 pollution regulations should be delayed as it doesn’t give automakers enough time to prepare.
The Euro 7 standard, which regulates emissions of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, and fine particles, received preliminary approval in November last year. It also proposes for the first time to regulate particulate matter emissions from brake pads and tires.
Audi against “Euro-7”, and Skoda threatens to close the plant and lay off
Automakers will have to re-certify every transmission in their portfolio, a long and expensive process. New technologies will need to be created, upgraded filters and catalysts, and automakers say they will have to pass most of these costs on to buyers.
In the automotive industry, Euro 7 is considered an unnecessary step that will divert resources from the ultimate goal of electrification. Automotive executives say the rules will only apply to the latest generation of internal combustion engines until a decision is made to allow only zero-emission vehicles to be sold in Europe after 2035.
Skoda head of sales Martin Jahn said on Sunday that the Czech brand Volkswagen Group will have to close the plant and phase out models if the Euro 7 standard is adopted in its current form.
“If the Euro 7 standard is approved in this form, it will mean that Skoda Auto will close one plant because we will stop producing smaller models – Fabia, Scala, Kamiq – this means that at least 3,000 workers places will be reduced,” said Martin Yan in a televised debate.
“We strongly believe that we need an adjustment to the current proposal,” added Markus Duesmann. “We spent a lot of time and money developing electric vehicles.”
Strict adherence to Euro 7 would divert investment away from electric vehicles, he said, and higher prices for buyers would “really weaken the situation.”
