The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has elected Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group as its President for 2023. As of 1 January, Mr de Meo will take over the presidency from BMW’s CEO, Oliver Zipse, who has held the position for the last two years.

ACEA’s outgoing President, Mr Zipse said: “These past years have been marked by the COVID pandemic, supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis – all of which have had a profound impact on our sector.”

“Nevertheless, the European auto industry has been the reliable industrial backbone of the EU in highly volatile times. At the same time, we have been cautioning against over-regulation and calling for technology-neutrality to be the base of EU competitiveness.”

ACEA’s incoming President, Mr de Meo: “Looking ahead, we need Europe urgently to implement policies that fully support our decarbonisation goal, and enable us to face growing global competition.”

“We welcome the work on a European Raw Materials Act, which should support the continent’s economic resilience and the shift to zero-emissions. Our industry is committed to investing heavily in e-mobility, and to securing value creation and jobs in Europe.”

“The Euro 7 proposal in its current shape, however, would draw away massive human and financial resources from electrification, at the very time when other world regions are creating an attractive investment environment for zero-emissions mobility.”

“ACEA will continue to advocate for a balance between what is good for the environment, what is good for Europe’s economy and what is good for society.”

The ACEA President is elected for a year-long term, once renewable, from the CEOs of its member companies – the major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus manufacturers.

ACEA represents the 16 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Stellantis, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars, and Volvo Group.

The EU automobile industry
The automobile industry industry generates a trade surplus of 79.5 billion euros for the EU and the turnover generated by the auto industry represents more than 8% of the EU’s GDP.

Around 13 million Europeans work in the auto industry (directly and indirectly), accounting for 7% of all EU jobs. An estimated 11.5% of EU manufacturing jobs – some 3.4 million – are in the automotive sector. Motor vehicles are responsible for 374.6 billion euros of tax revenue for governments across key European markets. 

Investing 58.8 billion eurois in R&D annually, the automotive sector is Europe’s largest private contributor to innovation, accounting for 32% of total EU spending.