BMW, Mercedes-Benz threatened with legal action by NGOs to discontinue ICE car production by 2030

German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been sued by German non-governmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) as well as Greenpeace for not taking on emissions targets that are strict enough and to halt the production of cars with internal combustion engines by 2030, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported this week.

This was confirmed to Reuters by DUH, who has confirmed that the lawsuits have been filed on Monday evening. The automakers mentioned were given until September 20 to agree to the NGO’s demands, among them the limiting of ICE vehicle production.

So far, neither automaker has set a deadline for the halting of internal combustion engine vehicle production, and both BMW and Daimler, parent of Mercedes-Benz confirmed to Reuters that they have not accepted the NGO’s demands.

The cases brought against the automakers would be modelled on one brought against Royal Dutch Shell in the Netherlands last year, which argued that the oil and gas company’s alleged “lack of climate action constituted a failure in its duty of care to citizens,” Reuters wrote, and this case led to a court ruling in May this year mandating the company to reduce its global CO2 output by 45% from 2019 levels by 2030.

Italy is appealing to the European Union for a lifeline for its specialist manufacturers which trade on the appeal of internal combustion, while BMW has said it will continue to make IC engines as demand remains strong

The European Union has proposed an effective ban of new internal combustion-engined vehicle sales from 2035, which is a target shared by Canada and mooted by Thailand; the United Kingdom has set out to do so five years sooner in 2030.

Certain carmakers have already aligned with the EU’s direction. Volkswagen is one, having confirmed it will no longer sell cars with internal combustion engines by from 2035, while Audi will halt production of the engines themselves two years before that in 2033, in addition to launching only purely electric vehicles from 2026.

This would be bad news for makers of exotica such as those from Italy, which has commenced talks with the European Union to appeal against the 2035 ICE ban deadline, with specialist manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani in mind.

Of the two German automakers under this spotlight, BMW said in March this year that it plans to continue producing internal combustion engines alongside its electrification push “because demand will remain robust for many years to come,” CEO Oliver Zipse said at the time.

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