The mask of unity presented by the European car makers’ lobbying association, ACEA, severely cracked earlier this month when Stellantis announced it was leaving to set up its own pressure group.
As the second-largest member of the group, Stellantis was a key supporter of the organisation and also one of biggest funders via its undisclosed annual fee.
So why did Stellantis leave, and what’s the future now for ACEA (short for Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles) in the face of differing opinions on how to tackle the shift to zero-emissions motoring?
Stellantis didn’t give an official reason for leaving, but one source close to the company pointed to its increased clout since merging PSA and FCA in 2021 to create a 14-brand global behemoth.