Stellantis has reportedly stopped stocking combustion-only vehicles in 14 states around the United States. The decision comes following emissions guidelines set by the California Air Resources Board that exceed nationwide standards. That doesn’t mean that customers in these 14 states won’t be able to order a gasoline-powered vehicle from Stellantis, though.
The automaker announced it has stopped allocations of models with internal combustion engines and no electric support to dealerships unless there are specific customer orders. On the other hand, dealers in non-CARB states are no longer able to receive deliveries of plug-in hybrid models without customer orders.
The states that follow emissions guidelines set by the California Air Resources Board are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
“I think many of us expected when the CARB rules actually kick in in 2026 in a meaningful way that we’d have some allocation challenges,” Brian Maas, president of the California New Car Dealers Association, told Automotive News. “The fact that it’s happening in the middle of 2023 is a bit of a surprise. People are going to go to Reno and Vegas and Phoenix to get ICE Wranglers, if that’s what they want.”
According to the online publication, Stellantis started changing allocation rules some two months ago. It’s important to note, however, that the CARB rules don’t require companies to start selling a certain percentage of electric vehicles until 2026. Still, experts expect a significant impact on Stellantis’ sales despite the fact that the firm’s dealers have been well-trained to promote plug-in hybrids.
According to the 2023 Census Bureau, about 36 percent of the US population currently lives in the 14 CARB states. Four additional states will adopt the regulations in the near future.
Last summer, Toyota announced it will recognize “CARB’s leadership in climate policies” and will continue to “share the vision of GHG [greenhouse gas] reduction and carbon neutrality goals” with the California state and CARB.
