Under Euro 7, the European Commission intends to extend the current Euro 6/VI pollutant emissions standards. But what is the real impact of Euro 7 on the environment, consumers, industrial competitiveness and beyond? Focusing on facts and data, in this series of fact sheets, the European car industry asks 7 questions about Euro 7.
- Euro 7: Productive or counterproductive for the environment?
- Euro 7: Help or hinder decarbonisation?
- Euro 7: cheap or expensive?
- Euro 7: easy or complicated?
- Euro 7: more or less strict than other global standards?
- Euro 7: realistic or unrealistic times?
- Euro 7: good or bad for the competitiveness of the sector?
Sheet no. 1 – Euro 7: Productive or counterproductive for the environment?
Significant progress has been made in the EU in reducing air pollution from vehicles, in accordance with the current Euro 6/VI standards. Euro 7 is unlikely to have a greater impact, and may even be counterproductive as it risks holding back fleet renewal.
Sheet no. 2 – Euro 7: Help or hinder decarbonisation?
All investments in the automotive industry are aimed at decarbonising road transport, which will allow us to achieve climate neutrality and tackle air quality. The Euro 7 proposal risks making the green transition a more distant prospect.
Sheet no. 3 – Euro 7: cheap or expensive?
The Euro 7 proposal is a complicated and expensive reform. It will lead to higher prices for consumers and operators, who risk keeping their older, polluting vehicles for longer. This would be bad for the environment and bad for vehicle manufacturers.
Sheet no. 4 – Euro 7: Easy or complicated?
Rather than simply updating the Euro 6/VI regulations, the Euro 7 proposal is much stricter for cars and vans, and is a complete overhaul for trucks, involving an investment of billions of euros.
Sheet no. 5 – Euro 7: more or less strict than other global standards?
The EU already has one of the most comprehensive and strict approaches to pollutant emissions in the world. State-of-the-art technology makes exhaust emissions barely measurable.
Sheet no. 6 – Euro 7: realistic or unrealistic times?
The European car industry needs adequate lead time to develop and implement emission reduction technologies in new vehicles. In its current form, the Euro 7 proposal contains unrealistic timelines from an engineering point of view.
Sheet no. 7 – Euro 7: good or bad for the competitiveness of the sector?
The European car industry is one of the main drivers of economic growth in the EU. The Euro 7 proposal means that certain vehicle models and segments could no longer be produced in the EU, with the risk of advancing the industry’s green transition.
Euro 6/VI, together with electrification, can already reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by a massive 80% by 2035 compared to 2020. In comparison, NOx would be reduced by between 2 and 4% below Euro 7 while buying increases. price of a new car in €2,000.
