New European auto emissions standards make 'no sense', Stellantis boss says

MILAN (Reuters) - Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares on Wednesday labelled as "useless" the part of the so-called Euro 7 standards tightening car emission limits for pollutants including nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide from 2025.

Presenting the carmaker's results for last year, the CEO said the part of the regulation involving emissions was also counterproductive.

"It is not helpful, it is costly, it does not bring customers benefits, it does not bring environmental benefit," he told media. "The ICE emission part is something which just makes no sense".

Tavares has previously criticised the Euro 7 standards as a waste of time and money, as they would require carmakers to invest money in technology to cut emissions in fossil-fuel models that the European Union intends to ban as of 2035 anyway.

He said Stellantis would limit the number of Euro 7 applications to the minimum, while aiming to ramp up electrification as fast as possible.

Tavares, however, praised the legislation regarding particles generated by brakes and tyres.

"This is a helpful one to improve health by reducing the amount of particles (that) it are generated".

(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari and Nick Carey; Editing by Jan Harvey, Kirsten Donovan)