Overview
- Söder, speaking Wednesday at BMW’s Spartanburg plant alongside incoming CEO Milan Nedeljković, called a German abstention an “industry‑political catastrophe.”
- He pressed the SPD to set a clear line, while the CDU/CSU reject the Commission’s package and push to allow so‑called high‑tech combustion engines.
- The Commission’s December plan would permit new combustion‑engine car registrations after 2035, reversing the earlier phaseout that EU states had negotiated.
- The file is due back in the European Parliament before EU governments take a final Council vote in June, which requires Germany to present one unified stance.
- Söder and Nedeljković also criticized U.S. tariffs and warned that unclear EU rules threaten auto jobs and suppliers in Germany as Chinese carmakers gain ground.