FU To The EU

BMW tells the EU to go pound sand:

In April of 2023, eurocrats inflicted a new EV diktat on one of the world's largest economies — but also one of the slowest growing and least innovative. Without quite saying so, the goal of Europe's stricture is to force all new car sales to be electric after 2035. Every new car, truck, van, SUV, etc. must be 100% emissions-free. BMW is well poised to meet that goal. The Bavarian-based carmaker's line already features no fewer than five all-electric vehicles ranging from sporty (the i4) to luxury sedan (i7) to a full-size SUV (XM). While BMW's EVs don't enjoy anything like Tesla's sales, even in Europe, they're generally well-regarded by critics and buyers alike. So the EU and BMW are two fully charged peas in a pod, right? Not any longer. "BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse said during this year’s Paris Motor Show that the European Union must cancel the upcoming 2035 ban on vehicles that emit carbon dioxide," Inside EVs reported on Wednesday. I certainly didn't see that one coming, but I'm just as certainly glad to. One reason for Zipse's turnaround must be due to simple market forces. "In June 2024, the European electric vehicle (EV) market continued its dynamic journey with 294,000 plugin vehicle registrations," the European Commission reported in August. "However, the overall market saw a slight decline of 5% year over year (YoY), contrasting with the general automotive market's modest growth of 4% YoY." Modestly shrinking sales in a modestly growing market is not a good look for EVs.

Mandates can't work if they don't sell...