Audi stops development of new combustion engines

VW subsidiary Audi has abandoned the development of new combustion engines. "We will no longer develop a new combustion engine, but will adapt our existing combustion engines to new emission rules," CEO Markus Duesmann told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung with a view to EU plans for stricter Euro 7 standards, which he called "technically a huge challenge with little benefit for the environment." But Duesmann refused to name a phase-out date for Audi sales of conventional engines. "More than 90 percent of the cars we currently sell are combustion engines, but the future is electric. We will manage the transition until our customers have decided to phase out the internal combustion engine," Duesmann said. Demand for conventional engines will remain significant in certain regions of the world for a while, he added.

The Volkswagen Group has initiated a remarkable transformation in the wake of the "Dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal of its own making, but it has not set an end date for combustion engine production. Since VW announced its pioneering electrification plans, rivals have caught up, with Ford, GM, Volvo, and others announcing an exit from combustion engine technology. VW CEO Herbert Diess said earlier this year that VW is a global company, and that many markets won't be ready for electric cars by 2035. By 2050, the company aims to be balance sheet CO2 neutral.