Stellantis says if UK becomes"hostile" it will reassess plans to build electric vehicles here, despite spending millions to set up factories
Ms Davino cautioned that while Stellantis’s investment in both plants demonstrated the company’s confidence in them, it was the first step towards a fully electric future which requires “the UK government to stimulate more demand in the electric vehicle market and support manufacturers that invest in the UK for a sustainable transition.”
The original plan for the wider UK car sector was a ban on new sales of petrol and diesel driven vehicles by 2030. Unlike the EU – where car makers can meet CO2 reduction targets by selling a mixture of hybrids and EVs – Britain is demanding from this year that companies sell a minimum percentage of fully electric cars or face fines of £15,000 for every non-compliant vehicle sold.
Rather than pay fines, Stellantis may import fewer fossil-fuel models into the UK to curtail sales and hit the 22 per cent target, Ms Davino said.said the next government needed to work in partnership with the industry to deliver growth worth £50bn in the next 10 years, and help more drivers switch to zero-emission motoring.
The SMMT called on the next government to adopt its five-point plan to strengthen the UK car industry