Renault is already pushing strongly into the small electric vehicle segment with the launch of its retro R5 E-Tech model. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP/FileThe chief executive of French automaker Renault called Tuesday for a European"Marshall Plan" to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce carbon emissions in the face of Chinese competition.
"A European Marshall Plan could be put in place to accelerate parc renewal and thus drastically reduce CO2 emissions," he wrote. Europe aims to phase out the sale of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 as part of its efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.But with"an onslaught of electric vehicles from China", de Meo said the European automotive sector needed the EU to develop an industrial strategy, much like it did to encourage the development of planemaker Airbus, and as the Chinese have done for EVs.