The European Commission is set to unveil an action plan tomorrow in a bid to get Europe’s auto industry back on track, amid sluggish growth in electric vehicles and increased competition from China. The European Union aims to phase out the sale of combustion engines by 2035. But automakers fear high manufacturing costs, strict regulation and geopolitical headwinds are making it hard to keep up with the competition. 2024 was a record year for EV sales globally, but in Europe, the market contracted by 3%. Meanwhile, EU member states remain divided over the bloc’s decision last year to impose additional tariffs of up to 35% on Chinese-made EVs. William Denselow reports.
