European Automakers Urge Policy Support as VW Warns of 'Enormous Pressure'

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• Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume called for flexible regulation and incentives supporting local production, while Renault CEO Francois Provost warned the company may need to cut European production by about 300,000 vehicles if regulators show no flexibility on 2030 emissions targets, Reuters reported. Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said Europe needs more EV battery plants, and automakers also urged relief on high energy costs; the EU's deal to cut Chinese hybrid imports by more than half was broadly welcomed but seen as insufficient on its own.
• Blume said Europe's mass-market auto industry is under "enormous pressure" from low-cost, high-tech Chinese competitors who could flood the European market with cheap vehicles amid weak domestic demand and exclusion from the US market, adding that export profits alone cannot secure the industry's future. The remarks came alongside Q3 results: BMW's global deliveries fell 6.4%, with China sales down about a quarter, while Stellantis shipments fell 1% (hurt by a North American summer production halt) even as its European shipments rose 10%, aided partly by Chinese partner Leapmotor vehicles.

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