Q&A with ESCA President Alessandro Campochiaro

Alessandro Campochiaro, ESCA Vice President and Head of Vehicle Type Approval & Regulatory Affairs at Bugatti Rimac, has shared some thoughts on his new role at ESCA as well as the year ahead for the small volume manufacturing sector.

1) What motivated you to take on this role, and what are you most looking forward to in your new position as ESCA Vice President?

Ever since I started working in the automotive industry, I have always been a part of the small volume manufacturer sector. Having the chance to represent and provide my support to increase the importance of the industry, is an honour and something I consider a great achievement. I am really looking forward to bringing my experience in order to highlight the importance of our products and various the challenges niche OEMs are facing in the regulatory environment.

2) Given the ever-evolving landscape of the automotive industry, how do you envision the future for the small volume car manufacturing sector?

The large-scale road transport industry is increasingly evolving in the implementation of autonomous driving, which will certainly bring benefits in everyday life but will leave less and less space for the emotions that can be felt while driving exceptional cars like the ones produced by ESCA’s members. From this perspective, I believe that our sector will gain more and more importance and value, continuing to follow technological progress and maintaining our identity based on the passion of our customers.

3) What challenges do you foresee for small volume car manufacturers in 2024, and how do you plan to address or navigate these challenges in your role as Vice President?

2024 is a key milestone in the evolution of important legislative processes that started many years ago. For example, the final publication of EURO 7 as well as the initial discussions on secondary legislation will take place this year. ESCA’s role in supporting this process, highlighting the technical challenges SVMs and USVMs will face, is crucial to allow our members to continue bringing their products to the European market without unnecessary burden, and with a decreasing impact on the environment.

4) As the Vice President of ESCA, what specific goals do you have in mind to enhance the representation and support for small volume car manufacturers in Europe?

Given my background, one of the main targets I would like to achieve during my tenure is to improve and increase our internal technical evaluation and impact assessment processes for new regulations. This will allow ESCA to provide even more reliable and objective data to support our actions. Additionally, I think ESCA’s activities should focus even more so on legislative processes outside of the European Union, where other challenges will arise in the future.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’​ Association (ACEA), approximately 7% of all employees in Europe, or 13 million people, are employed across the automotive value chain.

Members of the European Small Volume Car Manufacturer Alliance (ESCA) were proud to directly employ a workforce of nearly 10,000 dedicated individuals, and significantly more indirectly through the supply chain, in the financial year of 2022.

Through both their production centres and research and development facilities, ESCA members thrive on the expertise and commitment of their talented employees across multiple countries in Europe. Including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Luxembourg.

The EU car market has recently entered a sixteenth consecutive month of growth with year-to-date car sales increasing by over 16%, totaling nearly 10 million units. As the sector continues to surge, members of the European Small Volume Car Manufacturers Alliance (ESCA) have made valuable contributions in supporting this growth.

Across the financial year of 2022 to 2023, over 18,000 cars were produced and over 15,000 cars were registered by our members. In addition, with over €3 billion of turnover recorded in this period, the contribution of ESCA members to the expansion of the EU car market cannot be understated.

In recent years, the automobiles and parts sector have been leading the way in research and development share across the EU. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’​ Association (ACEA), in 2021 the automobile sector accounted for 31% of sectorial research and development in the EU, the largest of any sector.

Across the financial year of 2022-2023, our members made a substantial commitment to to research and development, with a total investment of over €600,000,000.