“The pandemic is the biggest single risk ever to face the auto industry”: ACEA president Michael Manley

“The COVID pandemic is the biggest single risk ever to face the auto industry,” stressed ACEA President Michael Manley at the ‘Putting the EU auto industry back on track post-COVID’ online conference. “Our number one priority is to revive the market while enabling production to return to normal levels and preserving jobs.”

The coronavirus crisis puts massive pressure on the auto sector at a time when it is already navigating fundamental technological shifts, according to Manley. “The automotive industry has already dedicated a large part of its annual €60.9 billion R&D budget to decarbonisation, but our investments alone will never be enough.”

“If we want zero-emission mobility to become a real option, we will also need to have a vast network of charging points and re-fuelling stations across all EU countries.”

Manley concluded by calling on policy makers to “work together to ensure that the EU automotive ecosystem, which employs more than 14.6 million people, can survive, recover and prosper”.

This speech was given at ACEA’s online conference on the pathway to a strong and green recovery of the EU auto sector on 20 October 2020.