The EU apparently wants to axe the 2035 ban on selling combustion-engined cars

The latest salvo in the continuing saga of the 2035 ban on combustion engines has taken yet another twist: apparently, a senior European Union lawmaker now said those plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars are “off the table”.

Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, said a 90 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions will be mandatory for carmaker fleet targets, not 100 per cent.

“There will also be no 100 per cent target from 2040 onwards,” he told Bild. “This means that the technology ban on combustion engines is off the table. All engines currently manufactured in Germany can therefore continue to be produced and sold.”

Weber said this would secure “tens of thousands of industrial jobs”.

The 2035 ban was originally signed off back in 2023, and required carmakers to cut emissions by 100 per cent (by 2035) compared to 2021 emissions levels. Whether the EU now officially drops the ban – and what it means for the UK – remains to be seen.

Indeed, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders noted that while the UK saw sales of battery electric vehicles grow to 26.4 per cent of the market in November, “with volumes rising just 3.6 per cent, this represented the weakest month for BEV growth in almost two years”.

Hybrid sales rose by 1.3 per cent in November, though plug-in hybrids recorded the fastest growth, rising 14.8 per cent and accounting for 11.9 per cent of registrations.

Those figures come as the UK new car market declined last month, with new registrations falling by 1.6 per cent. It’s the sixth fall this year.

More as we get it.