Škoda Auto, part of the Volkswagen Group, plans to allow plug-in hybrids and alternative fuels after the EU’s 2035 ban on internal combustion vehicles, according to Euractiv.
Chairman Klaus Zellmer emphasised the need to ease EU rules after a meeting with Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček.
Zellmer believes that buyers want to have a choice between different types of vehicles, not just battery-electric ones. The automotive sector currently employs around half a million people and accounts for 24% of the country’s exports, or 9% of GDP.
Last year, the Czech Republic joined Italy in the call to reconsider the EU’s goal of banning the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035. The joint proposal also stressed the need to address the issue of penalties for failing to meet the emissions target by 2025.
However, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra ruled out major changes to the rules on CO2 emissions from cars in 2025 and 2035 during a recent discussion.
