Italian Government pushes for emissions exemption for supercar makers

Italian supercar companies may not have to abide by the 2035 combustion engine ban being imposed by the European Union.

The Italian Government is seeking leniency for the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani, citing financial concerns with the transition to electric vehicle manufacturing for smaller, specialised carmakers.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Italy’s minister for ecological transition Roberto Cingolani said “in the gigantic cars market there is a niche, and there are ongoing discussions with the [European Union]” regarding potential exemptions.

The blanket ban on petrol engines shouldn’t apply to supercar makers producing significantly fewer cars than their mainstream counterparts, argued Cingolani – a former non-executive board member of Ferrari.

“This is something we are discussing with other partners in Europe and I am convinced there will be not be a problem.”

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Despite the push, the first zero-emissions car to wear a Prancing Horse badge is expected in 2025, with Ferrari confirming its Purosangue SUV will eventually be offered with a battery-electric powertrain.

Lamborghini has previously announced all models after 2025 will be plug-in hybrids, while its first all-electric supercar is planned before the end of the decade.

In 2018, Horacio Pagani confirmed his company was exploring an all-electric hypercar with Mercedes-AMG for some time after 2025.

“This is a bit of an uncharted territory for us still. We’re talking about not just the Tesla-level of car, but the hypercar level,” he said at the time.

“But for Pagani it’s something that we cannot be blind to. One or the other would have a future so to that extent we are committed to this project.”

While the Italian Government is fighting to keep petrol-powered supercars alive, in recent months French brand Bugatti merged with Croatian electric hypercar company Rimac.