Italy’s plea to keep Ferraris free of net zero clampdown

Rome: Italy has asked the EU to allow it to keep producing combustion engines for its supercars.

The EU has proposed laws that would require all cars sold from 2035 to produce zero emissions, effectively banning the engines that produce the throaty roar of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis.

But Rome has now asked the bloc for an exception to the net zero proposals, arguing the vehicles are a special category that should not be subject to the restrictions.

“In the gigantic cars market there is a niche, and there are ongoing discussions with the EU commission,” Roberto Cingolani, Italy’s minister for ecological transition, said in an interview with Bloomberg.

“We are discussing with other partners in Europe and I am convinced there will be not be a problem” to have exemptions, said the minister, a former non-executive director at Ferrari.

The likes of Ferrari and Maserati account for just a fraction of the market and it is unfair that they should be held to the same standards as automobile giants that produce millions of cars, Italy argues. But an EU Commission spokesman said yesterday that he was “not aware of any such talks” over a carve-out for Italian supercars.

“The proposal to reduce emissions by 100 per cent in new cars by 2035 will apply to all automobile manufacturers.”

In July, the European Commission launched a proposal for emissions reduction legislations called “Fit for 55” in reference to hitting a 55 per cent drop in carbon going into the atmosphere by 2030. The aim is to reduce the current emissions allowance of 95g of carbon per kilometre driven, by 55 per cent in 2030, and to zero by 2035. It would have to be accepted by all EU states and the European Parliament to become law.