Richard Parker, Labour mayor of the West Midlands, has urged Chancellor John Healey to relax Britain’s electric car production targets to protect the regional automotive industry. He argues the current mandate requiring 80% of new cars sold to be all-electric by 2030 is unrealistic and risks damaging carmakers and suppliers. Parker supports reducing the target to 50% by 2030, with hybrids making up the remainder, citing near-unanimous industry backing.
He warns that imposing unattainable goals could lead to job cuts, reduced investment, and lower R&D spending, particularly affecting Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which employs 30,000 in the Midlands and recently announced 4,000 job losses. Ministers maintain the 2035 end date for hybrid sales, after which only fully electric vehicles will be permitted. While some executives like Nissan’s Massimiliano Messina back a 50% target, others such as Volvo Cars’ Håkan Samuelsson argue against weakening ambitions amid strong EV momentum.
The government is also reviewing potential tariffs on Chinese EV imports amid divided manufacturer views.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing