French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to lead the country in the transition to electric vehicles, speaking at the Paris Motor Show on Monday.
The goal was to produce 2 million electric cars annually starting in 2030, the French president said. The 1-million mark would be reached by 2026 or 2027 already as the government was committed to assisting the industry in the switch, he added.
"We are here to support and accompany [manufacturers] in the long term, to continue innovating, to make France a great automobile country of the future once again," Macron said.
With the government encouraging the public to switch to electric or hybrid models, it was important to facilitate increased French production, for the climate and for the independence and reindustrialisation of the country, the president said.
During Macron's tour of the auto show, Carlos Taveres, chief executive of automaker Stellantis, announced the production of three electric Peugeot models in Mulhouse, France. With this, the number of electric models produced in the country increases from six to twelve, he said.
A complete production shift to electric cars by 2035 was "necessary to meet our climate targets and presents an opportunity for the reindustrialisation of our country," Macron said in an interview with the news outlet Les Échos.
The French car industry has been grappling with the effects of the Covid pandemic recently. While the country produced 4 million vehicles annually 20 years ago, production dropped to between 1.3 and 1.5 million units amid the pandemic.
Electrification is an opportunity for a turnaround, Marcon said.
He also stressed the importance of encouraging the purchase of European-made electric cars in the face of competition from China and the US.
The bonus for the purchase of an electric car for low-income households would be increased from €6,000 ($5,842) to €7,000, Macron told Les Échos. This is limited to models costing up to €47,000.
