Such is the apocalyptic outlook for the future of our planet that I had come to think it was nigh-on impossible to resist any environmental initiative – especially for car makers, widely seen as the devil’s work post-Dieselgate.
You can imagine my eyes popping out, then, when the Renault Group’s director of R&D, Gilles Le Borgne, used the Munich motor show to calmly outline why the EU’s proposal to “cut vehicular CO2 emissions from current levels by 100% by 2035” (in simple terms, to ban all forms of hybrids across the EU’s 27 nations) would be resisted by the French firm. He said that 2040 would be a fairer date, environmentally, societally and economically.
Just to confirm that my ears hadn’t been deceiving me, I reconfirmed with CEO Luca de Meo later that day – and he too made a staunch defence of the position, adding that he had the French government’s full support and expected other car makers to say the same.
However calmly this was said, battle lines are clearly being drawn.
