Stellantis meets electric vehicle target despite criticising the goal and closing its Luton plant
The company that owns Britain’s Vauxhall car plants met the UK government’s electric vehicle (EV) sales mandate last year despite publicly criticising the target and announcing the closure of its Luton factory.
Stellantis, which also owns the Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat brands, as well as a number of others, was the UK’s best-selling electric van manufacturer in 2024, it announced on Thursday.
Despite this, the company said in November it would close its Luton van plant in April, putting more than 1,100 jobs at risk.
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Under the government’s zero-emission vehicle mandate (ZEV), car makers must ensure 22% of their annual sales are electric vehicles.
Financial penalties are levied against manufacturers if zero-emission cars make up less than 22% of all new sales and if electric vans make up less than 10%. This will rise to 80% of all electric car sales by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
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Stellantis surpassed this 2024 goal, however, but did not say what percentage of sales were electric cars and vans.
It did say it sold 39,492 electric cars in 2024 – a 59% increase on 2023 – and 7,821 electric vans.
‘ZEV mandate out of step with demand’
The target was hit despite longstanding criticism of the mandate, reiterated on Thursday.
Stellantis UK’s group managing director Eurig Druce said: “The steep trajectories of the ZEV mandate are out of step from current demand.”
“Put simply, if the UK is to achieve its transport emission ambitions, and for EVs to represent 80% of new cars sold in 2030, then consumers are going to need more encouragement from government to do so.”
Read more: UK’s EV market doing better than you might think
In response to industry complaint and job losses, as Ford planned to cut 800 UK roles as part of a European cull, the government announced a consultation on the ZEV goal.
Shortly after the consultation was announced, industry figures for November showed the target was reached. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 25% of new car registrations in November, well above the government target.
But for 2024 as a whole, electric car sales were just shy of the mandate at 19.6%, according to the SMMT.
The lobby group said complying with the combustion engine phase-out rules would cost the industry £4bn in discounts (needed to make EVs appealing to buyers) and £1.8bn in fines for missing the mandate in 2024 alone.
‘UK’s targets are working’
Opposition to the policy is not uniform.
Campaign group New Automotive responded to the Stellantis figures by saying: “The lessons for ministers are clear: the UK’s targets are working, consumer demand is there, manufacturers are delivering, and the UK is poised to benefit from greener, cheaper transport.”
The Department for Transport said: “The UK is now the largest EV market in Europe and, thanks to the flexibilities of the ZEV Mandate, we are confident that the whole industry will meet targets and that no car manufacturer will need to pay fines.”
“We’re investing over £2.3bn to make the transition to zero-emissions vehicles a success, unlocking a multibillion-pound industry and creating high-quality jobs that will drive growth for decades to come.”
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.
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