Ineos CEO: politicians must recognise need for hybrids after 2035

Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder has slammed the UK and EU’s decision to stop sales of new ICE cars in 2035, saying that hybrids will still be needed after that date - and customers will still want a choice of powertrain. Calder, a vocal critic of the mandated switch to pure-electric power, says governments are wrong to pursue an EV-only approach to reducing emissions, because hybrids, range-extender (REx) EVs and alternative fuels can play an important part in decarbonisation. Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car event in London, she said that the regulatory framework that has been put in place is out of step with consumer demand and unnecessarily restrictive. “I don't think customers want choice; I think customers need choice. I think the policy framework that's in place with these kind of drop-dead dates and one technology solution is designed inherently not to give that choice. “We're in a world where the policy is basically defining what customers should buy, and they don't want it. I think electrification will always have its place, but it's not going to be a one-technology solution. “My view is that when 2035 comes, there's no chance that we're going to be saying ‘there's nothing else except for electric’. No chance.” Calder repeated her call for governments to embrace a “technology-agnostic approach to decarbonisation” and touted the benefits of electrified ICE powertrains – like the upcoming Ineos Fusilier’s REx system – in that context. The Fusilier, a smaller sibling to the pure-ICE Grenadier, was revealed in 2024 and planned for launch in 2027 with a choice of pure-electric and REx powertrains, but the programme was delayed last year, with Ineos citing low demand for electric cars. Calder says that while the new entry-level model is still in the pipeline, the company needs greater certainty about how long it can remain on sale before committing to a launch date. “It's about life cycle," she said. "We're not building cars that have a five-, six- or seven-year life cycle; we're sustaining off-road cars for the long-term, and we're not going to vastly change the design or bring out new models all the time. “If we come out with our Fusilier in 2027 or 2028, we've got a life cycle of selling in Europe and the UK of six or seven years maximum, and that's not an economic business case. “I think the reality is we will be selling them for longer than that. I just want them to say that today, not in 10 years' time, because this is not an industry that can survive on lastminute.com decisions; it's an industry that needs clarity.” Calder said that “confusing and last-minute” changes to EV policy framework have come on top of “incessant regulation on supposed safety features that everyone wants to switch off - and then a trade war”. She said that it's crucial to adopt a clear and "technology-agnostic" approach to help car manufacturers counter those headwinds, believing “the industry will get there on emissions by providing a choice of much lower-emission vehicles” rather than being forced just to sell EVs.

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Ineos CEO: politicians must recognise need for hybrids after 2035

There is "no chance" that Ineos will force its customers to go electric, says Lynn Calder

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