Italy is asking Ferrari and Lamborghini for an exemption from its ban on internal combustion engines.
Italy wants to protect Ferrari and Lamborghini from a proposed future European Union ban on internal combustion engines, Bloomberg reported Saturday.
The Italian government is in talks with the EU about excluding the two supercar makers from the proposed phase-out of the new internal combustion engine, which was announced in July and would take effect in 2035.
Rome is reportedly arguing that the proposed rules should apply differently to high-end supercar manufacturers.
Notably, the rules have not been finalized; according to Bloomberg, they must first be debated by member states and the European Parliament. France has already proposed a more modest emissions target.
Both Ferrari and Lamborghini have gradually adopted electrification, but so far only in the form of hybrid powertrains for production cars. However, Ferrari now appears to be committed to at least one EV. Ferrari previously cited limited battery technology as an obstacle, but that hasn't stopped the Croatian company Rimac, which now also runs Bugatti.
Ferrari announced in April that it will unveil its first EV in 2025. Ferrari is also adding hybrid powertrains to more models; the successor to the Lamborghini Aventador, to be unveiled in 2023, is expected to be a hybrid, ending the V-12 Lambo supercar's non-electricity. However, Lamborghini has not announced firm plans for an electric car.
In an interview with Bloomberg published Monday, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said it would be a mistake to make exceptions for some automakers, saying that everyone must do their part to reduce emissions and that EV technology offers higher performance than internal combustion vehicles He pointed out that Blume made these comments in response to the unveiling of Porsche's Mission R concept electric racing car at the Munich Motor Show.
This article has been updated to include comments from Porsche CEO Oliver Blume.