This week, France along with seven other countries, including Italy and Poland, signed a joint document sent to the European Commission in which they oppose the introduction of new Euro-7 emission standards.

Today, a new report casts doubt on the validity of the Euro 7 standard. Indeed, a new study by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Acea, the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers, believes that the release of the new Euro 7 standard will increase The production cost of each car is about 2,000 euros.

More specifically, the study estimates that the €2,000 increase only applies to direct production costs of the manufacturer. Of course, this will lead to an even more significant increase in the list price of future thermal cars approved under standard 7.

The cost is 5-10 times higher

If we dig a little deeper into the research, we see that the estimated increase in direct manufacturing costs is five to ten times higher than the European Commission notes.

In particular, Acea estimates the increase in average costs for diesel cars at 2,629 euros, almost five times more than the figures announced by the European Commission. As for petrol models, it’s the same struggle, with an estimated increase of €1,862 against €184 according to the European Commission.

Sigrid de Vries, CEO of Acea, presents these assessments focusing on “independent and relevant assessment of additional costs for a new Euro 7 car based on assessments by industry experts” :

“The European automotive industry is committed to further reducing emissions in the interest of climate, environment and health. However, the Euro 7 proposal is simply not the right way to achieve this, as it will have an extremely low environmental impact at an extremely high cost. The transition to electrification will bring more environmental and health benefits, while replacing older vehicles on EU roads with highly efficient Euro 6/VI models.”

Are current standards sufficient?

According to Acea, the current Euro 6 standards cover the most comprehensive and stringent standards in the world for pollutant emissions, with exhaust gases being “already at a barely measurable level thanks to the most modern technologies”.

The same association also notes that the Euro 7 standard will also lead to indirect costs such as increased fuel consumptionwith costs likely to increase by around 3.5% over the life of the vehicle.