7:58 am, July 13, 2026
Honda wants ‘more consistency and clarity’ from authorities on emissions regulations and legislation.
That is according to two of the firm’s most senior executives, who say that the changing pace of legislation in Europe is making planning ‘more and more complicated’.
Speaking to Car Dealer at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, both Hans de Jaeger, president of Honda Motor Europe and Michael Doyle, head of automobile for the UK, called for more long-term vision.
‘We have to be careful,’ said de Jaeger. ‘If we see how the regulator is now putting additional requirements, the cost of a car becomes pretty, pretty expensive, and so in that sense we have to be a little bit more careful.
‘But from authorities I really would request to have some more consistency and clarity.
‘It is becoming more and more complicated, and if I talk with my colleagues from all the regions, they do not understand how complicated this region is. It’s painful.
‘It’s not supporting OEMs, and I’m not talking about [just] Honda.
‘Now there are so many political elements to decision-making and uncertainty, and that’s not just a UK thing; that’s a regional thing, but it’s particularly acute in Europe and our region.’
His comments were backed up by Doyle, who was also present at the West Sussex event.
De Jaeger als said that Honda was also focused on long-term sustainability, rather than chasing short-term market share. The brand recently launched its Super N, which arrives as one of the most compact EVs on the market thanks to its basis on a Japanese ‘kei-car’.
‘I’m really looking towards how we can develop the market in a sustainable way with a product, and that’s for me most important,’ he said.
‘We have a product which is based on customer requirements and that was the key point.
‘If you fire it out, you can do it, but is it sustainable?’
