The auto lobby spent hundreds of millions on media manipulation so that you wouldn't drive an electric car.

We are heading towards an electric future at high speed. Fossil fuels and combustion engines are supposed to be a thing of the past – much to the displeasure of oil companies and parts of the automotive industry. There are many indications that major car manufacturers, together with oil companies, have been investing hundreds of millions in the media for years to slow down the electric car revolution. In doing so, they are trying to portray electric cars as worse than combustion engines in public because they want to continue making money from gasoline and diesel.

The extent of lobbying and financial influence

The financial power of the auto and Oil industry is immense – built on more than a century global dependence. As governments increasingly enact regulations to move away from fossil fuels in response to the climate crisis, the business models of these industries are coming under pressure. The reaction: millions are invested to influence policymakers and To weaken climate rules.

According to a Analysis of WARC, an international advertising and marketing analytics company, stated that the automotive industry in 2024 globally 56.8 billion US dollars for advertising. Ironically, a large portion of this advertising was on Electric cars aligned. At the same time, lobbying increased significantly.

Alone in the USA invested the automotive industry between 2019 and 2023 overall 183 million Dollars in federal lobbying. In the first half of 2024, an additional 45 million for advertising. For comparison, for advertising Automotive Industry in the USA 2024 approximately $14.3 billion. A large portion of these activities aimed to weaken or delay pro-electric vehicle regulations.

In Europe as well do fossil lobby groups have significant influence. The seven largest oil companies in the world worked in 2024 over more than 50 organizations, led to over 1,000 meetings with the European Commission and accounted for nearly 64 million euros for lobbying. According to Transparency International, around 66 percent this meeting with measures of Green Deal – including in particular the transition from combustion engine to electric car.

Manipulative campaigns against electric cars

Besides classic lobbying, the auto and oil industries also engage in targeted manipulation. This doesn't always involve outright rejecting electric cars. Often, it's enough to sow doubt or portray climate policy as an attack on personal freedom to present. Precisely this method is evident in several concrete campaigns.

An example comes from the USA. The American association Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, shortly AFPM, launched 2024 one multi-million dollar campaign against stricter emissions rules from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The campaign spoke of an alleged „Gas Car Ban“, so a ban on gasoline cars.

In commercials, text messages, and on billboards, the impression was given that the government wanted to take people's cars to take away. However, fact checks came to a different conclusion. The EPA rules prohibited No gasoline cars, but set stricter limits for new vehicles. Manufacturers could continue to sell internal combustion engines, but had to offer cleaner models overall.

A second example was provided by the Australian car lobby. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, or FCAI for short, warned 2024 allegedly massive price increases due to new efficiency standards. Part of it was up to 13.000 Australian Dollar additional costs for popular pickups and SUVs were mentioned. Tesla then stepped in out of the association and accused the FCAI of „demonstrably false claims,“ meaning demonstrably false assertions.

A third example concerns Toyota and hybrid cars. The company advertised for years with terms such as „self-charging hybrid“and„electrified“. That sounds like an electric car, but in many cases continues to mean Internal combustion engine vehicles.

When media become the mouthpiece of the car lobby

Manipulative campaigns against electric cars only have an effect when they gain reach. This is exactly where the role of the media problematic. Because car manufacturers and oil companies are not directing their lobbying efforts only to policymakers. They also try to influence public opinion through advertising and campaigns that portray electric cars as expensive, impractical, or politically imposed.

Many publishers are under economic pressure and rely on advertising. At the same time, the automotive industry has enormous advertising budgets: worldwide She gives 2024 spent approximately 56.8 billion US dollars on advertising.

Because of this, car manufacturers, oil companies, and mobility companies are particularly important Advertisers. This does not mean that every report is bought. But it often creates a conflict of interest.

A commentary from [source] shows how close some automotive media outlets are to the industry's narratives. Auto Motor und Sport on the EU ban on combustion engines. Even the headline „Smoke bombs from clueless bureaucrats“sets a clear framing. Climate policy is not presented as necessary emissions regulation, but as haphazard intervention incompetent politics.

Even the cover image follows this narrative: a suffering man, a crossed-out engine, and an EU flag, all rendered in gloomy grays. This is how climate policy is visually presented as prohibition, decline, and personal suffering staged. Also in the text, the EU goal is described as „Ban on combustion engines“described and emphasized that manufacturers „to the cash register, scolding“to be asked. Exactly these kinds of terms fit the car lobby's campaigns.

In addition, there are automobile clubs with their own media power. The ADAC Motorwelt reached 2024 according to their own statement run 6.79 million Readers and was therefore number one among the consumer magazines in Germany. Such publications are not small trade journals, but rather high-reach media that shape how millions of people perceive through tests, guides, and commentaries. Cars and Climate Policy think.

If electric cars are perceived as expensive, impractical, or immature, it reinforces the doubts from which the automotive and oil industries profit economically.

How lobbying changes EU policy

The effects of this influence are already visible. In March 2023, the EU decided on rules that would reduce CO2 emissions from new cars by 100 percent voresaw – de facto the end of new combustion engines. But at the end of 2025, the EU Commission proposed to adjust the 2035 target to 90 percent to be flexible; for now, the 100 percent target remains binding.

Lobbying played a central role in this about-face. According to Corporate Europe Observatory and LobbyControl Big Tech lobbying groups alone spending more than 14 million euros in 2025 to influence the EU Commission.

At the heart of these efforts is the powerful German automotive lobby. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) invested 2025 fast 800,000 Euros in lobbying the EU. The association financed with this 121 high-level meetings with EU officials.

BMW gave approximately 2.2 million Euro off, took part 155 meetings part and employed 19 Lobbyists. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz jointly invested around 5 million Euro – enough for 272 Meetings and the equivalent of 80 full-time lobbyists.

Lobbyists are supposed to influence political decisions – and they are extremely successful in doing so. The VDA's ten-point plan for 2025 called for, among other things, looser emissions targets, „technological openness,“ and stronger support for hybrid vehicles and hydrogen technologies.

Especially important: The VDA expressly requested, to lower the target of 100 percent emissions reduction to 90 percent. Just a few months later – after numerous high-level discussions within the EU Commission – the industry got exactly that, what she wanted.

Are the industry's demands realistic?

The industry argues for flexibility and competitiveness. Car manufacturers are calling for less strict EV regulations, more room for hybrid technologies, and special rules for alternative fuels like hydrogen. However, many of these proposals are controversial from a climate perspective. Hydrogen is often seen as clean alternative represented, however, its production continues to cause high emissions. The production of just one kilogram of hydrogen can take around ten kilograms of CO2 release.

Another central demand concerns public investment in Charging infrastructure. The industry is demanding state-funded charging networks and lower electricity costs. While the lack of infrastructure is indeed a problem, given the Wins This demand seems questionable to the industry.

Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz achieved 2025 together profits of around 24.4 billion euros. At the same time, the global automotive market will reach approximately 2.35 trillion euros appreciated. Many industry problems – such as high EV prices or insufficient charging infrastructure – could theoretically be solved by the companies themselves through increased investment.

Europe and the USA are falling behind China.

Despite high demand, electric cars are developing more slowly than expected in Europe and the USA. According to a European Investment Bank Survey from the year 2022, almost 70 percent Europeans will next buy an electric or hybrid car. However, this demand is only partially reflected in actual sales so far.

China presents a clear counter-proposal and has now become the global market leader in electric cars. Reasons for this include lower prices, its own battery and parts production, as well as a massive expansion of charging infrastructure. A crucial factor is the Price. In China, the BYD Seagull depending on the conversion and version at around 8,200 to 8,900 Euros. Comparable vehicles usually cost in Europe 20,000 Euros or more.

This is also because Chinese manufacturers frequently [use/have] batteries and semiconductors self produce – which reduces costs and makes production more efficient. Also in charging infrastructure China far ahead. In March 2026 the country had over more than 21 million Charging points – an increase of almost 47 percent within one year.

For comparison, in the EU there were End of 2024, approximately 1 million public charging points. By 2030, there should be 3.5 million will be. The European Commission is investing heavily through its „Connecting Europe Facility“ in new charging infrastructure. In 2024, it allocated 1 billion euros ready. The European automotive industry is also investing, but by no means on the same scale as the EU. At the same time, it is spending millions to weaken precisely those rules that are intended to accelerate the expansion.

One could argue that many of the manufacturers' complaints—such as a lack of demand or insufficient infrastructure—could be partially resolved by stronger self-investment and more affordable models. The result is a growing competitive gap. Even the VDA now admits that Europe urgently needs to catch up in international competition. Nevertheless, lobbying has so far focused more on weakening rules rather than on Accelerate walking.

Lobbying and Political Influence in the USA

A similar conflict is also apparent in the US. The Joe Biden administration planned to reduce emissions from Cars until 2032 to halve – which would have required a massive expansion of electric cars and charging infrastructure. But then came Donald Trump, a close ally of the oil and auto industries. On the very first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order to [overturn/reverse/undo] key climate goals of the Biden administration undo to make.

The financial proximity to industry is obvious:

• Fossil fuel companies donated $96 million for Trump's 2024 re-election campaign.
• Big Oil invested an additional approximately $243 million in lobbying efforts towards Trump and Congress.
• The automotive industry contributed around 5.3 million Dollar at Trump's inauguration.

Industry-aligned campaigns also shaped public debate. The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers led a major lobbying and PR campaign, the electric car rules as An Attack on Personal Freedom . This narrative proved politically effective—and helped fend off stricter emissions targets.

What's at stake for the climate?

After a Analysis of the Organization Transport & Environment could the relaxed standards by 2050 around 720 million tons additional CO2 emissions, for example 10 percent more than in the current scenario.

At the same time, the long-term benefits of electric cars are likely to continue to grow. According to European Environment Agency could improvements in batteries and cleaner electricity generation lead to 2050 at least 73 percent lower.

These figures show what the current political decisions are really about. The transition to electric mobility brings economic challenges—but delaying it will result in massive environmental costs.

A conflict between profit and transformation

It comes as little surprise that the auto industry is resisting rapid electrification. It is one of the most profitable industries global economy and is closely tied to the interests of Fossil fuels intertwined. The status quo protects these profits.

But the sheer scale of lobbying—hundreds of millions of euros and dollars per year—raises fundamental questions about influence and democratic oversight. Decisions about the future of global emissions are heavily influenced by industries that have a direct financial stake in the outcome.

The farewell to the internal combustion engine will not be easy. However, the data suggest that it is necessary and technically feasible. Whether governments willLong-term ecological stability or short-term economic interests How they prioritize this also depends on how they deal with the constant pressure from lobbyists. At present, this pressure seems to be yielding the desired results for the auto lobby.