BRUSSELS: Europe”s prestigious carmakers lead the world in perfecting the internal combustion engine — but the days of the petrol motor are numbered, and the continent is changing gear. On Wednesday next week, the European Commission will unveil its plan to reduce carbon emissions from new vehicles to zero within the next decade, to fight climate change. The EU plans to be carbon neutral by 2050, but petrol and diesel cars remains the continent”s main mode of transport and the pride of its globally admired marques. Sources in Brussels expect the commission”s plan, part of a climate climate strategy, to foresee an end to new registrations of gas guzzlers from 2035. Europe”s existing emissions limit of less than 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre was to have been reduced by 37.5 percent in 2030. Exact figures are still under discussion, but Brussels is now expected to seek a 60 percent reduction by 2030 and a 100 percent reduction just five years later in 2035. The economic damage the coronavirus pandemic has damaged the road vehicle market as a whole, but electric cars have been an exception, with growth accelerating.
