Long live the Europe of luxury! No need to respect the law when you are wealthy. Climate efforts are good for the middle classes. The end of the sale of thermal vehicles announced for 2035 could well be circumvented by the manufacturers of luxury vehicles thanks to an exception judiciously baptized the Ferrari amendment.
Could some clever and wealthy people escape the ban on the sale of new thermal vehicles in 2035? During the vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday June 8, an amendment was tabled by some MEPs to try to circumvent the ban.
The Ferrari amendment: preferential treatment
Called the “Ferrari amendment”, it provides an adjustment for car manufacturers that sell fewer than 10,000 vehicles per year. These could therefore continue to sell cars equipped with an internal combustion engine, 100% thermal, hybrid or PHEV, until 2036. The text thus provides that luxury brands which produce “between 1,000 and 10,000 passenger cars benefit from this bend in the rule for one more year.
An amendment tabled by Italian elected officials grants preferential treatment to the least produced cars, luxury cars like Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati or Lamborghini, of which less than 10,000 are produced. Dubbed the “Ferrari amendment”, the text, tabled by mostly Italian MPs, was adopted by the European Parliament. The amendment specifies that “the reduction targets will apply to all producers, with the exception of those responsible for less than 1,000 new vehicles registered over the calendar year”.
No ban on ultra-rich cars
The second category concerns manufacturers who sell less than 1,000 units per year. This is especially aimed at very small manufacturers, even more exclusive than Ferrari. For those brands of high-performance vehicles costing $2 or $3 million apiece like Bugatti or Swedish Koenigseggthe ban would be completely deleted with this amendment.
This amendment could also adjust the steps towards zero emissions, which are rather restrictive by 2035. As a reminder, manufacturers are normally subject to stages, with a reduction in CO2 emissions of 15% in 2025, 55% in 2030 and 100% in 2035. For brands selling less than 10,000 units, these steps could be a bit more flexible.
