9:20 am, September 21, 2023
The UK’s automotive manufacturers have said they ‘will not change’ their product plans, despite Rishi Sunak’s announcement yesterday that the ban on selling new petrol and diesel vehicles is being pushed back from 2030 to 2035.
Many car firms have already announced strict deadlines for when they’ll produce purely electric models and phase out internal combustion engines, working towards the previous 2030 deadline the government had set.
Mini told Car Dealer that it ‘had already announced that it will become a purely electric brand from 2030 globally and this will not change’.
Similarly, a statement from Vauxhall and Peugeot’s parent company, Stellantis, said the company was ‘committed to achieve 100 per cent zero-emissions new car and van sales in the UK and Europe by 2030’.
A Stellantis spokesman added: ‘Our range will progressively move towards 100 per cent electric, ahead of current legislation – for example, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles becoming fully electric by 2027 and Vauxhall by 2028.’
While sports car maker Morgan might not build in as great numbers as other firms in the UK, it nonetheless remains an important part of the automotive industry and has said the announcement ‘will not delay’ its plans.
Speaking to Car Dealer, Matt Hole, Morgan’s chief technical officer, said: ‘Morgan has the agility, expertise and partnerships to comply with all future global emissions legislation.
‘We will continue to offer our customers petrol engines in markets that permit them, but the UK’s new shift in policy will not delay us rapidly developing alternative powertrains for the long-term future of our business.’
The only UK car manufacturer that has welcomed the deadline being pushed back is Toyota, which currently makes its hybrid Corolla in Britain.
Uncertainty had surrounded the Derbyshire plant’s future owing to the government previously not determining if the ‘self-charging’ hybrid powertrain that most Toyota vehicles use could be sold between 2030 and 2035.
A Toyota spokesperson said in a statement: ‘The government announcement is welcome as it provides the clarity the industry has been asking for and recognises that all low-emission and affordable technologies can have a role to play in a pragmatic vehicle transition.
‘Toyota fully shares the prime minister’s key goal of zero carbon and is committed to achieving the government’s target of zero-emissions vehicles from 2035 in the UK.’
Image credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire
