Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has mostly negative, strategic engagement on EU and German climate policy in 2023-25. In the EU, despite top-line support for a 2050 net-zero target and EV charging infrastructure rollout, VDA has actively opposed a zero-emissions 2035 CO2 target and advocated to weaken the 2025 15% CO2 target, both for cars and vans, and been unsupportive of stringent CO2 reduction targets for heavy-duty vehicles, while supporting more ambitious electric vehicle charging infrastructure rules.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: On its corporate webpage, accessed in March 2025, VDA supported the European Green Deal. VDA also supported Germany’s 2045 climate neutrality goal in a September 2024 article. In a July 2024 consultation response VDA supported the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, in a February 2025 LinkedIn post VDA emphasized concerns around ‘excessive regulation’ related to climate policy.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: VDA has consistently opposed the EU’s proposed CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans. In a February 2023 press release, VDA President, Hildegard Müller, appeared to call on the German government to push for last-minute amendments to weaken the regulation through an e-fuels exemption. In a September 2024 German Lobbying Disclosure, VDA advocated for the review of the light-duty and heavy-duty CO2 standards to be brought forward by a year and for a framework for using carbon-neutral fuels. In a January 2025 press release, Muller appeared unsupportive of the EU’s CO2 standards for light-duty vehicles and reiterated that the review be brought forward by a year. Minutes from a January 2025 meeting with the Cabinet for Sustainable Transportation reported that VDA emphasized concerns with penalties from the 15% 2025 CO2 target. Following the EU Commission’s proposed measures to weaken the EU’s 2025 CO2 standard by allowing average compliance over 2025-27, VDA President, Hildegard Muller supported the announced weakening of the rules in a March 2025 press release and advocated to further weaken the policy through a role for plug-in hybrids after 2035. This was echoed by Muller in a second March 2025 press release.
Regarding heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), in a May 2023 EU consultation response, VDA called to weaken the EU's proposed emission standards and advocated an annual review process beginning 3 years earlier than proposed and to adjust non-compliance penalties if enabling conditions aren't met. It also advocated for a lower CO2 reduction target for trailers, and opposed a 2030 100% zero-emissions target for city buses. Furthermore, in a February 2023 Berliner Morgenpost interview, VDA President, Hildegard Müller, appeared to oppose stricter standards by arguing that electric trucks are too heavy for German bridges compared with those with combustion engines.
VDA President, Hildegard Müller, opposed the introduction of a German speed limit in a February 2023 Berliner Morgenpost interview. However, VDA supported the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme 2 into national law, but at the expense of other legislation, in an August 2024 German Lobbying Disclosure.
Positioning on Energy Transition: VDA President, Hildegard Müller, appeared to oppose the EU’s proposed 2035 ICE phase-out date for light-duty vehicles in a February 2023 interview. In a February 2023 press release, Müller also appeared to support the attempted last-minute weakening of the EU's 2035 proposed ICE phase-out, calling on the German government to push for an e-fuels exemption. In a December 2024 LinkedIn post, VDA President, Hildegard Muller appeared to oppose the EU’s 2035 effective ICE ban and advocated to “move away from a harmful ban debate” in an August 2024 LinkedIn post. Similarly, in an October 2024 German Lobbying Disclosure, VDA disclosed its support for the use of biofuels and e-fuels over the rapid electrification of road transport, stating that biofuels should be classified as ‘carbon-neutral’. A September 2024 German Lobbying Disclosure advocated for a technology-open approach to decarbonize road transport over full electrification.
In addition, in a July 2024 consultation response, accessed via FOI request, VDA opposed the implementation of the Greening Corporate Fleets Initiative.
Concerning heavy-duty vehicles, in a May 2023 EU consultation response, VDA opposed a 100% zero-emission vehicle mandate for urban buses by 2030. In a September 2024 position paper, VDA advocated for the use of renewable fuels over the full electrification of light and heavy-duty vehicles.
More positively, VDA supported the expansion of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in the EU and Germany. In a February 2024 meeting with EU Commission Director General Magdalena Kopczynska, VDA advocated for more ambitious targets under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). VDA supported the expansion of charging infrastructure under the national implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in a July 2024 German Lobbying Disclosure. VDA also supported measures to expand charging infrastructure in Germany as aligned with the original timeline under the ‘Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II’ in a June 2024 Lobbying Disclosure. Furthermore, in a July 2024 1656122 response, VDA supported the expanded roll-out of charging infrastructure and the AFIR.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company's scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2025.