Germany’s automotive industry association on Wednesday cut its growth forecast for 2021 car sales to 3% from 8%, citing production hurdles posed by semiconductor shortages, Reuters reported.
The Association of German Automobile Manufacturers (VDA) now expects car sales in Germany to reach 3.15m units this year. It had slashed its production forecast on Tuesday.
Presenting the figures at its summer news conference, VDA warned against a possible European Union de facto ban on combustion engines from 2035 and called for more investment in charging stations for electric cars in the bloc.
According to the report, VDA said a ban on internal combustion engines would take a toll on jobs, innovation and consumers’ freedom.
“People don’t want bans, they want offers: innovative, attractive, networked,” VDA said in a statement cited by Reuters.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Tuesday the European Commission was drafting a law, to be proposed next week, to reduce allocations for CO2 rights to zero by 2035 “at the earliest”.