EU auto groups say car CO2 emissions targets  'no longer feasible'

A luxury Audi car is surrounded by exhaust gases as it is parked with a running engine in front of the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. Germany's transport minister said Thursday that he opposes plans to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines across the European Union in 2035, arguing this would discriminate against vehicles powered with synthetic fuels. EU lawmakers voted Wednesday to back the measure that requires automakers to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 100% by the middle of the next decade, effectively prohibiting the sale in the 27-nation bloc of new cars powered by gasoline or diesel. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

European Union targets to cut CO2 emissions from vehicles, including a 100% reduction for cars by 2035, are no longer feasible, the heads of the European automobile manufacturers' and automotive suppliers' associations said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is set to host automotive sector executives on September 12 to discuss the future of the sector, which is facing twin threats of Chinese competition in electric vehicles and US tariffs.