The Italian government is in talks with the European Union to keep combustion engines “alive” among Italian supercar builders post-2035, the year in which it is supposed to be no longer possible to sell new cars in Europe with this type of engine.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Roberto Cingolani, Italian minister for the green transition, said that “in the huge car market there is a niche, and talks are taking place with the EU on how the new rules would apply to luxury manufacturers who they sell in much smaller numbers than volume builders”.
Ferrari and Lamborghini are the main targets in this appeal by the Italian government to the European Union and are taking advantage of the “status” of niche builders, as they sell less than 10,000 vehicles a year in the “old continent”. But even that didn't stop the car industry from reacting, and Porsche was the first brand to show itself against it.
Through its general manager, Oliver Blume, the Stuttgart brand showed its displeasure with this proposal by the Italian government.
According to Blume, electric vehicles will continue to improve, so "electric vehicles will be unbeatable in the next decade", he said, in statements to Bloomberg. “Everyone has to contribute,” he added.
Despite talks between the transalpine government and the European Union to "save" the combustion engines in Italian supercars, the truth is that both Ferrari and Lamborghini are already looking to the future and have even confirmed plans for producing models 100% electric.
Ferrari has announced that it will introduce its first all-electric model as early as 2025, while Lamborghini promises to have a 100% electric on the market — in the form of a four-seater (2+2) GT — between 2025 and 2030.