"Many middle-class households" in Europe cannot afford to buy a car. The European Commission acknowledges this in its new regulation for the automotive sector and therefore proposes to promote a "small" and "affordable" electric vehicle.
Brussels highlights this point in a draft of the measure that will be presented this Tuesday, to which this newspaper has had access. The Commission points out that there is "a widespread trend of increasing vehicle prices throughout the EU, which is progressively distancing access to private vehicle ownership" for many families. It hides, however, another reality: that the middle class has less purchasing power over time. But the result is clear: households in Europe are facing increasing difficulties in buying a vehicle.
The Commission also notes that most electric vehicles have a price of at least 25,000 euros. "Therefore, in September 2025, the President of the Commission [Ursula von der Leyen] announced an initiative for a small and affordable car, aimed at boosting the market for small European electric vehicles," the text recalls. And now, Brussels proposes to introduce this concept into legislation "on motor vehicles that can be used for specific measures in EU regulations and by Member States."
"This would provide simplification for companies, strengthen the economic viability of manufacturing small affordable electric vehicles profitably in Europe, and reduce prices for consumers," the document adds.
The EU's action will also propose a relaxation in the end of combustion vehicles, which was initially set for 2035. Work on this point will be ongoing until the last moment, but media outlets such as the Financial Times reported yesterday that the intention is for European manufacturers to maintain up to 10% of emission levels from 2021.
This involves undoing part of the green transition process that the Von der Leyen I Commission, the previous one, started. The pressure for this has been very strong, especially from Germany. The automotive sector is crucial in the main European economy, and if the end of combustion cars were added to the current problems and dependencies, the result could be disastrous.
That is why both the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the President of the European People's Party have insisted and pressured Von der Leyen to backtrack. Already in September, the leader of the main European political party stated in EL MUNDO that "the combustion engine will return, and that means for consumers that all engine options will continue to be allowed in Europe."
Last week, in statements to Bild, he emphasized that "the technological ban on combustion engines is ruled out." This stance and the path the EU is going to take contrasts with that advocated by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who also last week asked Von der Leyen in a letter to maintain CO2 emission targets.