Stellantis has recently announced that it will leave Europe’s main automotive lobbying group, ACEA, by the end of this year. This is part of a new approach to address issues and challenges of future mobility, including a shift away from traditional lobbying activity. According to Automotive News Europe, the automaker is planning an annual “Freedom of Mobility” event, with the first one scheduled for early 2023. The event aims to identify “how to bring clean, safe, and affordable freedom of mobility for society in the face of global warming implications.” That doesn’t sound like the Dodge Hellcat squad will be invited, but maybe there’s room for them, too? Maybe they’ll just do their own thing at Woodward in the meantime.
Stellantis Mobility Event: Building Sustainable Mobility
The Stellantis event will be planned and coordinated by an advisory board of experts representing various industry stakeholders and will host several debates on essential topics. Experts from mobility and technology providers, academics, politics, science, and other areas are expected to attend the event. The event comes as the 27 EU countries prepare to vote on a proposal that would ban sales of new internal-combustion passenger cars starting in 2035.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. Image via Stellantis.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is a former president of ACEA, and through the car manufacturer’s decision, it becomes the first key automaker to part ways with the group. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has stated that they respect Stellantis’s decision to withdraw its membership at the end of the year, though they regret to see them go.
Tavares has stated that the event will “address the key questions surrounding the debate on decarbonized mobility and provide actionable next steps for us to take together.” There are environmental challenges ahead of us that are tied in with businesses that are rapidly evolving. The global and inclusive forum will be a step in the right direction toward building sustainable mobility so citizens worldwide can have access to “clean, safe, and affordable mobility.”
