VW CEO uses scare tactic against stricter emission rules despite claiming to be all-in with electric vehicles

Europe’s attempt to make into law a 35% CO2 reduction goal for new cars to accelerate electric vehicle adoption is making some people show their true colors.

The head of VW, Herbert Diess, is using scare tactics against the new proposal while he claims that the German automaker is all-in with electric vehicles.

As we reported yesterday, the European Parliament has entered negotiations over the goal to reduce emissions from new cars by 30 to 40 percent by 2030.

The Parliament was originally pushing for 40%, but Germany and its influential auto industry pushed back for just 30% and the European Council came up with a 35% compromise.

VW, who claimed to be on board with the electric revolution, especially since being involved in the Dieselgate scandal, is now fighting back against the new proposal.

CEO Herbert Diess claimed the industry could crash and lose 100,000 jobs (via Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“The transformation in speed and impact is difficult to manage.[…] Such an industry can crash faster than many believe,”

The new rule would force automakers to produce more electric vehicles in order to reduce their fleet average emission.

By 2025, VW hopes that its electric production plan will lead to 3 million electric vehicles per year between all their brands (VW, Audi, Porsche, etc.).

They claim to have “pulled all the stops” to support electric vehicle production and that they even awarded electric vehicle battery contracts worth $48 billion.

Electrek’s Take

I think it looks extremely bad for automakers claiming to support the electric revolution to fight this proposal.

If VW is truly serious about its plan to significantly increase electric vehicle production by 2025, it shouldn’t be worried about it.

But instead, they are complaining that they wouldn’t be able to sell their polluting products, which we now know are resulting in diseases, deaths, and a grave impact on the environment.

It’s a bad look to fight for that with the usual job loss scare tactic and in the same breath, you claim that you will lead electric vehicle sales.

Here’s the thing: if VW can’t reach that goal by 2030, other electric automakers will do it for them and they will create jobs doing it.