Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kalenius Appointed AS ACEA President

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kalenius has been appointed as the new president of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

He will replace Groupe Renault CEO Luc de Mea, who has held the position since the beginning of 2023 and has now served the maximum two-year term.

Kalenius says he will work on a “market-led” transition to electric cars and focus on “improving regulatory conditions to sharpen our competitive edge in the digital and electric era.” He added that ACEA will work on “the market-led decarbonization of our industry,” hinting that he could lobby European Union officials to slow down the pace of the transition to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, ACEA has approved Stellantis’ application to rejoin the lobby group. In mid-2022, Stellantis resigned under the leadership of then-CEO Carlos Tavares. Tavares is no longer at the helm of that huge car company, and the temporary leadership immediately reversed an old decision. Earlier this month, it was announced that Stellantis wanted to rejoin ACEA. That is now the case again.

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