The European automobile industry actively concentrates its research and development activities on sustainable mobility and competitiveness. This message emerged from the EUCAR Conference held on November 8 in Brussels. EUCAR, the European Council for Automotive R&D, is the research body of the European automobile manufacturers. It initiates and coordinates pre-competitive research activities in four key areas: environment, energy and fuels; road safety; mobility and transport; competitiveness. “Important results have been delivered in 2007 but, at the same time, new challenges for the future have been identified. We see a need to increase research activity and contributions”, said Lars-Göran Rosengren, Volvo vice-president for innovation and strategy and EUCAR chairman in 2007. “It is vital to have an integrated approach involving the energy and fuel industry, the suppliers, users and vehicle owners, traffic and transport operators, and key authorities at EU and state level.”
Projecting for 2008, the incoming EUCAR chairman Christoph Huss, Senior vice-president for science, traffic and vehicle regulations at BMW, added: “Increasing the collaborative effort of all key stakeholders will allow the automotive industry to both deliver timely results and step-up R&D efforts. Especially renewable energy production and alternative fuels are among the most important research fields for the next decades. Mobility and transport of goods and persons are areas where the automotive industry should further strengthen its engagement, and EUCAR will be used as our common body to do that.”