EU set to shelve plans to ban combustion-engine cars

The move could see the effective ban pushed back by five years or softened indefinitely

The European Commission is expected on Tuesday to reverse the EU's effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy, and European automakers struggling against Chinese and US rivals.

The European Commission is expected on Tuesday to reverse the EU's effective ban on sales of new combustion-engine cars from 2035, bowing to intense pressure from Germany, Italy, and European automakers struggling against Chinese and US rivals.

The move, the details of which are still being hashed out by EU officials ahead of its unveiling, could see the effective ban pushed back by five years or softened indefinitely, official and industry sources said.