Presenting the recommendations, Bastien highlighted the importance of Horizon 2020 for automotive R&I. He called for the proposed €80-billion Horizon 2020 budget to be maintained and for the legislation to be finalized not later than mid-2013 to enable timely commencement of the program and in particular the R&I work programs and calls relating to its first active year, 2014.

To support automotive R&I effectively, a suitable budget should reflect the automotive industry’s direct contribution of 6.9% to European GDP and road transport’s status as a cornerstone of European society, free movement and economic activity, he said. EUCAR thus called for a budget share of Horizon 2020 to be devoted to automotive R&I initiatives, which corresponds to the industry’s direct contribution to the EU economy—i.e., about €5 billion (US$6.3 billion).

EUCAR is calling for several priority automotive R&I initiatives in the following domains to be included in Horizon 2020 (as outlined in its position paper):

• A European Green Vehicles Initiative (EGVI), as successor to the European Green Car Initiative (EGCI) which has been operating under FP7 since 2009.The EGCI enables the focusing of EU resources to major priorities of road transport and automotive R&I using a system approach. Its continuation through an EGVI in Horizon 2020 is an important step.

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for mobility. ICT is an important and growing area of R&I, in which a potential large-scale action is currently being assessed by stakeholders through the SATIE project (Support Action for a Transport ICT European large scale action). ICT is also an essential tool for other areas of automotive R&I, including manufacturing, processes and simulation, with each of these applications representing an important initiative in its own right.

• An initiative in advanced materials and manufacturing applications in the automotive sector for the development of efficiency and safety technologies and for supporting the competitiveness of the industry and the affordability of products for consumers.

• An initiative on integrated safety to focus R&I resources on the necessary applications and to take advantage of the results in their most effective combination.

• Advanced powertrains for increased efficiency, lower emissions and enhanced performance represent an essential theme, in which the main technological elements (internal combustion engine, hybrid drives, electrically chargeable and fuel cell applications in combination with clean and alternative fuels) are to be considered together as an integrated theme.

• Heavy duty vehicles and green corridors constitute a coherent initiative, in which the above themes can be integrated with dedicated R&I on heavy duty applications.

These initiatives are to be supported by the three pillars of Horizon 2020: Societal Challenges, Industrial Leadership and Excellent Science. In particular, EUCAR supports the broad lines set out in the Commission’s proposals for the program on “Smart, Green and Integrated Transport” as well as the programs on Energy, Climate/Raw Materials, Information and Communication Technology, Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing.

EUCAR is the European Council for Automotive R&D of the major European passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers. EUCAR facilitates and coordinates pre-competitive research and development projects and its members participate in a wide range of collaborative European R&D programs. EUCAR members are BMW, DAF, Daimler, Fiat, Ford of Europe, GM/Opel, Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group. EUCAR is closely connected to ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.