Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo will serve as president of the European automakers’ trade group ACEA, succeeding BMW CEO Oliver Zipse.
De Meo has been nominated for a one-year term, renewable for one year, although presidents traditionally serve two years.
ACEA, founded in 1991, represents 16 car, truck and bus manufacturers, but the group has been in flux over the past year. Stellantis, which has 14 brands, announced in June that it was pulling out of the organization and would hold its own events. Volvo Cars said in July that it would leave the group.
Members have clashed over policy positions, largely over the organization’s position on emissions regulations. ACEA had expressed reservations about the EU’s plan to reduce fleet CO2 emissions to zero by 2035, essentially outlawing internal-combustion vehicles, and had taken a skeptical stance about the need for costly Euro 7 pollution regulations, which are to take effect in 2025.
De Meo, who has been CEO of Renault since 2020 and also worked at various Fiat Chrysler and VW Group brands, said in a news release that “ACEA will continue to advocate for a balance between what is good for the environment, what is good for Europe’s economy and what is good for society.”
On Euro 7, he said: “The Euro 7 proposal in its current shape, however, would draw away massive human and financial resources from electrification, at the very time when other world regions are creating an attractive investment environment for zero-emissions mobility.”
The final proposal for Euro 7 was released in November after months of delays.
Stellantis has said that the ACEA exit is part of a new approach to address future mobility issues that includes a shift away from traditional lobbying activity.
The automaker is planning an annual “Freedom of Mobility” event, with the first one scheduled for early 2023. The event’s goal is to identify “how to bring clean, safe, and affordable freedom of mobility for society in the face of global warming implications,” Stellantis said.
Volvo said in July that its sustainability strategy is “not fully aligned with ACEA’s positioning and way of working at this stage. We therefore believe it is better to take a different path for now.”
The automaker signaled that it would be open to joining another group that better aligned with its electrification objectives.
“We have one of the most ambitious plans in the industry, but we can’t realize zero-emission transport by ourselves,” Volvo said. “We urge our peers to make their mark. Whoever does so will find a strong ally in Volvo Cars. We look forward to working with partners to address climate change for a safer tomorrow.”