GEAR 2030 – High Level Group on the Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth of the Automotive Industry in the European Union – Final report

The EU’s automotive sector enjoys a central place in Europe’s industrial landscape. It is the employer of millions of Europeans, often in highly skilled jobs and a major investor in research and development. The sector is one of the most competitive in the world and generates a substantial trade surplus for the EU. It is at a junction of many important EU policies including; competitiveness, research, energy, environment, transport, single market, etc. Today’s automotive industry is at a turning point: it must embrace the upcoming digital revolution, automated and connected driving, environmental challenges (such as climate goals), societal changes and growing globalisation.

In order to develop a co-ordinated and effective EU approach for the automotive industry in this changing landscape, the European Commission established the High Level Group (HLG) GEAR 2030 in October 2015. The group brought together Member States’ authorities and key stakeholders representing the industry, services, consumers and environmental protection and road safety. This Report sets out the HLG’s analysis of the situation and recommendations to address the main challenges and opportunities for the sector in the run-up to 2030 and beyond. It examines the developments in global competitiveness and changes in the value chain. In this context, given the profound impacts of the transformation on the entire value chain, the HLG decided to focus on connected and automated driving (CAD) and on zero emissions and zero emissions-capable vehicles (ZEVs and ZECs). However, the HLG also recognises that cleaner internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will have an important role in the on-going transformation of the sector. They will be especially important in the case of heavy duty vehicles to help their transition to low and zero emission technologies.