British Prime Minister announces delay in banning fuel vehicle sales, British automakers worry about difficulty in transition

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced an important policy change on Wednesday, delaying the ban on new purchases of gasoline and diesel cars, which was originally scheduled to be implemented in 2030, to 2035. He said this was done to avoid "unbearable costs" for ordinary people. This decision has caused confusion and frustration among British car companies, who believe that this will increase the difficulty and cost of their transformation.

Sunak said he remained committed to his goal of reducing Britain's greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, but that he would take a "more practical, more reasonable and more realistic" approach. He also relaxed a ban on new gas stoves in homes that was due to come into force in 2035 and scrapped a requirement for landlords to make their homes more energy efficient.

The policy change has been criticized by environmental groups and opposition parties as irresponsible and inactive in addressing the climate crisis. They point out that the UK has already committed to hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in 2024, and the decision will undermine the UK's leadership and credibility on the international stage.

At the same time, British car companies have different views on this decision. They said that delaying the ban on the sale of fuel vehicles will bring them greater transformation difficulties and competitive pressure. They have invested a lot of money and manpower to develop new energy vehicles, and have formulated corresponding plans and goals based on the original policy. Now, the policy change will disrupt their development rhythm and make them lose their advantage in the market.

It is reported that the British auto brands include Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, etc. Among them, Aston Martin plans to launch its first pure electric vehicle by 2025; Jaguar Land Rover plans to fully transform the Jaguar brand into a pure electric vehicle brand by 2025; Rolls-Royce plans to launch its first pure electric vehicle by 2030; Bentley plans to make all its cars electric or hybrid by 2030.

Judging from market data, the British automobile market is undergoing a difficult period of transformation. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), in August 2023, new car registrations in the UK fell 22.3% year-on-year to 68,033. Among them, the registrations of gasoline and diesel vehicles fell by 39.7% and 62.1% respectively, while the registrations of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles increased by 32.2% and 45.7% respectively. This shows that consumer demand for fuel vehicles is decreasing, while demand for new energy vehicles is increasing.

Judging from recent news, the British government's decision is contrary to the policy direction of other countries and regions. According to reports, the EU plans to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars in 2035 to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. China plans to increase the proportion of new energy vehicles to more than 40% by 2030 to meet the challenges of climate change.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.