The Mercedes-Benz CEO alerts about the consequences of an accelerated electric transition and without flexibility in the old continent.
Miami, United States. – The Executive Director of Mercedes-Benz And president of the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), Ola Källenius, has put into circulation a warning that has resonated throughout the industry: if Europe does not adjust its electrification plans, it could face a phenomenon similar to that which Cuba has lived for decades, where old cars circulate indefinitely before the impossibility of accessing new vehicles.
In an article published this week in The EconomistKällenius warns that normative rigidity around the prohibition of internal combustion engines can lead to a “Havana effect”.
“There is a risk that the de facto prohibition of combustion engines causes a ‘Havana effect’. Consumers who are not yet prepared for electrical mobility could be forced to preserve older and polluting cars for longer, as well as Cuban drivers, who have not been able to access new vehicles,” said the manager.
The concern arises in a context where the figures of the European automotive market are not encouraging. In spite of the more than 250,000 million euros that manufacturers have allocated electrification since 2021, and the launch of hundreds of electric models, the adoption by the public is limited: only 15% of the cars currently sold in the European Union are electric.
At the same time, the European Automotive Park ages. The average age of the vehicles exceeds 12 years, and that trend threatens to deepen. For Källenius, this implies “greater pollution, more emissions and engines approved under less strict regulations with respect to the present.” In addition, he warned that this stagnation in sales directly affects employment, since “more than 40% of European component suppliers and automobile technology could cease to be profitable in 2025”.
The data accompany the concern. In 2007, Europe exceeded 16 million units sold a year; In 2024, that figure fell to 10.6 million. To inflation, high prices and regulatory complexities, the fierce competition of Chinese brands is added, which offer electric vehicles to considerably lower costs.
Faced with this panorama, the president of the acea proposed a turn in the driving of the European Green Pact: to move from “idealism” to “industrial and geopolitical realism.” Among its suggestions include flexibilizing the objectives of reduction of carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂), expanding incentives to the purchase of electric cars, reduce the cost of electricity and expand the network of recharge stations. He also urged the parallel development of technologies such as hybrid motors, ultra -efficient combustion and synthetic fuels.
Källenius criticized that Europe has focused exclusively on a technological route, while “China showed that the simultaneous use of different technologies can favor progress.” The European dependence on raw materials and batteries manufactured in Asia also generates concern: “Europe will take years to reach autonomy in this segment,” he warned.
The Executive recalled that the objective of climatic neutrality around 2050, established by the Green Pact, was presented as “the equivalent of landing on the moon.” However, he argued that current challenges threaten their viability if urgent adjustments are not introduced.
“The risk is clear: o Europe adapts to current realities or runs the risk of sacrificing its industrial leadership due to excess regulation and stagnation,” he concluded in his open letter to the community authorities.
