"Betrayal", "disgraced"

ÖVP versus FPÖ: Fierce dispute over combustion engine phase-out

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl and Chancellor Karl Nehammer will no longer be petrolheads.

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and FPÖ party leader Herbert Kickl will no longer be petrolheads. Because in the case of the combustion engine phase-out, the chips are (once again) flying very low between the two parade squabblers and their parties ...

In the final phase of the EU election campaign, the FPÖ presented itself on Thursday as a guarantor for the continued existence of the combustion engine. This makes it the opposite of the ÖVP, which Kickl does not see as a rock in the surf for diesel and petrol engines.

When it comes to betraying the interests of Austrians to the EU elites, the ÖVP and Nehammer are always at the forefront.

FPÖ-Chef Herbert Kickl

According to the FPÖ, it was ÖVP delegation leader Othmar Karas who voted for a ban on combustion engines in the EU Parliament - just like the Greens.

Without the votes of the Group of the European People's Parties, the restrictions on the combustion engine could not have been passed, emphasized Kickl. "Only the Freedom Party voted unanimously against this madness", the FPÖ leader stated.

ÖVP counters Kickl's statements
For the ÖVP, however, Kickl has "embarrassed himself with his complete cluelessness". "Because the FPÖ party leader's latest statement contains at least as much fake news as ignorance. To say one thing straight away: The head of the People's Party delegation in Brussels is Angelika Winzig, not Othmar Karas. If Kickl wants to criticize us baselessly, he should at least be able to name the head of the People's Party delegation without fail," said ÖVP General Secretary Christian Stocker.

Kickl has disgraced himself with his complete lack of knowledge. The FPÖ party leader's latest statement contains at least as much fake news as ignorance.

ÖVP-Generalsekretär Christian Stocker

In addition, all other members of the People's Party in the EU Parliament voted against the ban on combustion engines - including Winzig. "It's good if the FPÖ shares our views on the end of combustion engines. But it would be better if the FPÖ finally took action instead of empty words and the usual poisonous statements and half-truths," emphasized Stocker.

Nehammer invited tocarsummit
At the beginning of the week, Federal Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP) hosted a car summit, with industry representatives in tow. No one from the coalition partner, which at least has Leonore Gewessler (Greens) as transport minister, was represented.

The Chancellor spoke out in favor of an end to the "ban on combustion engines" - although a ban is not explicitly envisaged in the EU. Rather, it is about CO2-neutral drive technologies, which some industry representatives also see as guaranteed by the use of e-fuels in combustion engines.

Several car manufacturers want to phase out before 2035
Several car manufacturers have already announced their intention to phase out combustion engine technology before 2035. Within the automotive industry, BMW is considered to be an advocate of the combustion engine, although the Bavarians are also quite successful with their electric vehicles and are constantly expanding their model range. The BMW plant in Steyr, Upper Austria, is also undergoing a transformation towards e-mobility, even though the vast majority of its business is still based on combustion engines.

The BMW plant in Steyr

(Bild: BMW Motoren GmbH Steyr)

Ford starts series production of e-cars in Cologne
It was only on Wednesday that Ford announced that it had started series production of electric cars in Cologne. Ford has invested almost two billion euros in the Cologne plant for its new electric course.

A few days ago, VW CEO Oliver Blume said that electric cars were the future of the automotive industry and that this was the focus of the investments.

China: every second new registration is an electric car
Just over a month ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) calculated that 17 million electric cars will be sold worldwide this year, which would be 20 percent more than in 2023. 10 million of these will be electric cars in China alone, with almost every second new car sold there this year being electric. In Europe, every fourth car sold in 2024 is expected to be powered by electricity.