According to Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstaetter, the automaker will phase out combustion engine vehicles and has no plans to develop new internal combustion engines.
In a new report from Automotive News Europe, Brandstaetter stated: “At the moment, I don’t expect a completely new engine family to be launched again.”
The CEO’s statement comes shortly after the CEO of another German automaker announced the same. Audi CEO, Markus Duesmann, announced earlier this month that the brand will stop developing new combustion engines and update existing ones.
Volkswagen will apparently follow Audi’s lead as, in order to meet upcoming emissions standards, they still plan on further developing its current combustion engines.
Brandstaetter also noted that continuing the sale of gas-powered cars, at least for the time being, is imperative in support the financial strain that its massive EV plans will surely entail.
Earlier this month, Volkswagen reveled its new strategy it will use on its journey towards electric action. The plan, fitting named ACCELERATE, aims to have 70% of the European EV market share and 50% of the EV market share in China and the US by 2030.
Although no definite timeline was given by either of the German automaker CEO’s but Duesmann did suggest that it will be.a decision made more by the customers rather than the manufacturer: “Our customers will probably decide when the last combustion engine comes off the production line.”
Volkswagen revealed in 2018 that it would introduce its last combustion engine in 2026. Considering the amount of automakers that Volkswagen supplies engines to, that number has likely been adjusted.
Another thing to consider is the massive market share that VW is aiming for. With goals like these, Volkswagen needs to get the ball rolling to secure funds and resources for its new strategy.
In addition to Brandstaetter statement, VW recently made several more announcements during it Power Day event including made a series of announcements during its Battery Day, including its hopes to one day offering EV charging for free, a new unified prismatic cell design, and a new modular platform.