Electric cars are the future, right? No, says Stellantis’ top boss. And that is not due to the parent company of Citroën, Peugeot and Opel, among others, but to the whims of the voter. European and American elections can turn everything upside down.
Carlos Tavares, the boss of all seven Stellantis brands, said in an interview with the German Automobile Week that Stellantis is ready to adapt its plans with electric cars to the political situation in the world. According to the company’s CEO, the group must respond if political and public opinion leans towards fewer electric cars.
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Important elections
“Next year there will be two important elections: the European Parliament elections in June and the US elections in November. It may be that the politics will be different,” the CEO noted. “One of my tasks is to prepare the company for all possible scenarios. We have plans for that.” Tavares anticipates a possible gain by the Republicans in America and the right-wing conservative bloc in Europe, both of which have little interest in electric mobility.
New platform
Tavares’ statements are remarkable, because if you look at Stellantis’ plans, there hardly seems to be a way back. After the introduction of the affordable electric Citroën ë-C3, in September 2023, the company announced ambitious goals. For example, on the new Smart Car platform – on which the ë-C3 is debuting – 7 new affordable models worth around 25 grand should be produced in the coming years. This would include the new one Fiat Pandaan ë-C3 as a seven-seater and a new one Opel Crossland.
Own plan
Stellantis still relies on its own plan called ‘Dare Forward 2030’. According to this plan, all cars sold in Europe must be fully electric from 2030. In the United States, this percentage must be at least 50 percent by then. With the plan, Stellantis wants to have a completely emission-free model range before the European ban on combustion engines by 2035.