A ‘2035’ Postponement Is Requested By BMW, Toyota, And Rental Companies

“Get in line; don’t push forward!” We’re imaginative enough to imagine representatives of BMW, Toyota, and all sorts of rental and leasing companies being shouted at in Brussels. It certainly won’t happen that way, but these parties are joining a very large group of lobbyists and companies wanting to have their say on European plans to completely ban the sale of combustion engine cars by 2035. Six European countries, for example, have already officially done so, while Germany and the Netherlands have also expressed concerns, and car companies like Stellantis have already sounded the alarm. Now BMW and Toyota are joining them, but leasing and rental companies are also unhappy with the plans.

In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen—her office is now practically collapsing under the weight of all that paperwork—a total of 67 business groups are requesting at least one exception for corporate fleets. That’s right: the fleets operated by rental companies. According to Reuters, the companies state in the letter that the measure will be extremely damaging, will impose high costs on businesses, and will effectively force them to buy fewer new cars and/or simply drive existing ones longer. This cannot be the intention of the rules, they argue, which are intended to make the fleet greener while avoiding unnecessary harm to the European economy. Avis, Bolt, Hertz, and Arval, among others, signed the letter.

That letter arrived well in time after all. The European Commission was originally supposed to present a revised version of the plans today, but that has been postponed until next week. December 16th is the day, and until then, the entire automotive world is holding its breath in anticipation. As much as that’s possible in such a crowded queue, of course.

• Also See: Tesla Goes Into Car Rental Business