The boss of Stellantis intends to take advantage of his advantage in having kept vehicles on a multi-energy platform. Depending on the outcome of the elections in Europe and the United States, Carlos Tavares will adapt his industrial strategy for the years to come.
Stop or still? The boss of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares, does not rule out reviewing the group's investment strategy regarding electric cars for the next 10 years. He will make his decision at the end of 2024 depending on the result of the European and American elections. This is what he said on April 15 during a visit to the Trémery factory which produces the group's electric motors.
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Carlos Tavares anticipates a possible change of direction for Europe and the United States in the event of victory for the “populist parties” as mentioned The echoes in his article of April 16. Ideally, the business leader would prefer that nothing changes and that the objectives currently set are not completely called into question by a new political situation.
“Stop changing the rules”
Carlos Tavares has never hidden the fact that he is not in favor of Europe's choice to push manufacturers only towards 100% electric. However, he complied with the requirements and the timetable imposed by the institutions. However, going back now on this decision would be a big mistake according to him. A step backwards would have serious consequences for European manufacturers who have already invested massively in electric cars. And all this is also valid for political decisions taken in the United States, another most important market for historic brands.
All manufacturers need a regulatory framework that does not evolve towards everything and its opposite in a few months or a few years: “ Stop changing the rules, or suggesting they might change “, he told the journalists present, hoping to get his message across to politicians.
The automobile industry is a heavy industry that invests for the long term. To illustrate his point, Carlos Tavares shared an image: “ I launched my plane at full power on the runway, we must not cut the engines now, otherwise the plane will fall. »
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A point on which he also agrees with the speech of Luca de Meo, as boss of the Renault group and president of ACEA (Association of European Automobile Manufacturers). However, it is quite rare recently for the two men to share a common opinion on subjects of this type.
Pragmatic nonetheless
However, Carlos Tavares remains true to himself with his legendary pragmatism. If everything is ready to continue to accelerate investments in electric cars, he recalls that he made the wisest choice to have opted for his multi-energy platforms. This allows the group to be able to switch to more thermal cars or more electric cars as needed and without impacting Stellantis' performance.
Taken up by the site AutoactuCarlos Tavares clarified that “ until the end of 2027, I can play on both sides, electric and MHEV, but at the end of 2024, in the light of the European and American elections, we will decide if we continue to accelerate on electric, if we provide resources for the period 2028-2035, or if we change course “.
On the other hand, he is perfectly aware that if the European trend pushes to slow down investments in electricity, Chinese manufacturers will continue to advance during this time. In several years, it will be impossible to want to make up for any delay resulting from bad political decisions taken in 2024.