On 5 February 2026, Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis, and Oliver Blume, Chairman of Volkswagen’s Management Board, co-signed a joint opinion piece published in Les Echos, Il Sole 24 Oreet and Handelsblatt, in the name of protecting the European automotive industry. A strong signal sent to Brussels at a critical time for the European automotive industry, and more particularly for the transition to electromobility.
A forum born of crisis
This initiative comes shortly before key decisions on the future European industrial framework, in a climate of growing tension. Sales are slowing down, margins are shrinking and international competition, particularly from China, is intensifying. As Stéphane Séjourné, Vice-President of the European Commission, warned in an AFP interview in March 2025: « The European automotive industry is in mortal danger ».
For Stellantis and Volkswagen, the facts are clear: Europe faces a major strategic dilemma. Either it remains an automotive industrial powerhouse, representing nearly 8% of European GDP and 13 million jobs, or it is content to become a mere destination market for vehicles designed and produced elsewhere.
Competition deemed structurally unbalanced
At the heart of the letter, the two leaders point to what they see as unfair competition. Some importers benefit from much lower production costs, linked to less stringent social, environmental and energy standards, while gaining free access to the European market.
The transition to electricity is amplifying this asymmetry. Electric vehicles rely on critical supply chains – batteries, power electronics, rare earths – that are largely dominated by Asia. Added to this is a paradox: Europe is investing massively in gigafactories and a local battery industry, while at the same time coming under increasing pressure to offer ever more affordable EVs, which encourages the import of low-cost components from abroad and increases strategic dependence.
« Made in Europe »: a structuring proposal
To break this deadlock, Stellantis and Volkswagen are proposing the creation of a « Made in Europe » label for electric vehicles, with clear and verifiable criteria. These would include
- vehicle production and assembly,
- R&D,
- the electric drive train,
- battery cells,
- major electronic components.
This label would provide access to a number of levers: clear identification for consumers, targeted national purchasing aid and priority access to public contracts.
A CO₂ bonus to rebalance costs
Another central proposal is the introduction of a regulatory CO₂ bonus for « Made in Europe » electric vehicles. The aim is to offset the extra costs associated with more demanding local production, not through customs duties, but via emissions regulations.
In practical terms, a manufacturer that largely complies with the « Made in Europe » criteria could benefit from a bonus applicable to its entire fleet. The savings made on CO₂ penalties would then be reinvested in European industrial facilities, rather than lost to foreign competition.
The two leaders stress that these are targeted incentives, designed to create genuinely fair competition on the European market.
A meaningful alliance
To see Stellantis and Volkswagen, direct competitors, speaking with one voice is in itself revealing of the importance of the situation. The initiative is clearly aimed at influencing the European Commission’s future ‘Automotive Package’, expected to be the industrial roadmap of the electric decade.
The stakes are high. In 2025, Stellantis sold around 5.8 million vehicles worldwide, down on 2024, with a share of electric vehicles in Europe of around 12%. Volkswagen, with around 8.5 million sales, remains the European leader in EVs (nearly 18%), but says it is increasingly vulnerable to Chinese imports, despite investing more than €30 billion in batteries.
Electromobility at the heart of the debate
The forum focuses explicitly on the electric vehicle. Today, nine out of ten cars sold in Europe are still produced locally, but this reality could rapidly change if the transition to electric vehicles takes place without a protective industrial framework.
Without appropriate support mechanisms, investment in gigafactories, power electronics and European assembly lines could become unprofitable. The risk, according to the two leaders, is that of massive relocations and, ultimately, a lasting weakening of Europe’s ability to offer competitive electric vehicles.
A two-pronged electricity transition
The message is clear: the success of electromobility in Europe depends on a delicate balance. Electric vehicles must be accessible to consumers, but they must also be produced locally, within a social and environmental framework that is consistent with Europe’s ambitions.
This strategic alert goes far beyond the interests of the two groups and raises a central question: what place does Europe still want to occupy in the automotive industry of the future?
