Fleet renewal programmes will be needed to restart vehicle demand in Europe, as part of a wider co-ordinated package of measures.

ACEA says fleet renewal schemes for all vehicle categories will be needed to help relaunch demand

The call comes from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), which has set out a set of four guidelines to ensure the auto industry can relaunch and help with overall economic recovery.

Mark Huitema, director general of ACEA, has warned that new vehicle registrations will be hard hit going forwards; latest ACEA figures show March registrations in the EU27 fell 55.1%.

“As Europe looks to reboot its economy, it will be crucial that clean road transport and mobility are affordable for everybody across the continent. Given the fragile economic situation, however, many consumers and professional transport operators will be simply unable to purchase new vehicles.”

As such, fleet renewal schemes for all vehicle categories across the EU will be needed to help relaunch demand for the latest vehicle technologies, according to ACEA.

Other measures that the lobbying group – which represents 16 vehicle manufacturers – is calling for include a coordinated strategy to safely relaunch vehicle production as soon as possible, moves to unblock type approval and registrations of the latest-technology vehicles, and accelerated investment in recharging and re-fuelling infrastructure.

“It is in Europe’s interest that this key strategic sector not only recovers, but also is revitalised in order to make a strong contribution to the EU’s industrial strategy, the European Green Deal as well as the continent’s global innovation leadership,” stated Huitema.