DETROIT—Stellantis NV Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said external pressure on automakers to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles potentially threatens jobs and vehicle quality as producers struggle to manage the higher costs of building EVs. Governments and investors want car manufacturers to speed up the transition to electric vehicles, but the costs are “beyond the limits” of what the auto industry can sustain, Tavares said in an interview at the Reuters Next conference released Wednesday. “What has been decided is to impose on the automotive industry electrification that brings 50 percent additional costs against a conventional vehicle,” he said. “There is no way we can transfer 50 percent of additional costs to the final consumer because most parts of the middle class will not be able to pay.” Automakers could charge higher prices and sell fewer cars, or accept lower profit margins, Tavares said. Those paths both lead to cutbacks. …