The CEO of British luxury car maker Aston Martin has criticised plans to ban petrol and diesel car sales and called for more Government support to help Britain’s transition towards a more electric-focused approach to cars.
Following the Government’s announcement that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be banned in the UK from 2040, many companies and figureheads in the motoring industry have been giving their reaction to the news.
Among those to give their view on the plans is Aston Martin’s CEO Andy Palmer, who is evidently unimpressed, even though the manufacturer plans to produce electric cars of its own from 2019 onwards.
Palmer described the plan to ban new petrol and diesel car sales in the UK by 2040 as “absurd”, because of the long distances that some people need to travel.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Palmer said: If we want to be at the cutting edge then we have to make sure we are word leaders in electric vehicles. If the Government is going to legislate then they have to assist as well, otherwise they will destroy part of the [motoring] industry.”
Palmer added: “If we’re going to compete, we need to be the centre of manufacturing for batteries. But if you walk round any battery factory in China, we’re 10 years behind them.”
