Audi And Volkswagen Will Continue To Use Internal Combustion Engines

German media reports that Audi and Volkswagen are decisively postponing their electrification plans as the transition to electric vehicles is progressing too slowly. Consequently, both brands will redirect their investments towards developing new models with internal combustion engines.

The transition to electric cars has been slower than manufacturers had hoped. As a result, most have decided to delay their electrification plans and extend the life of their internal combustion engines to adapt to market conditions.

Volkswagen and Audi are delaying their electrification plans. According to German media, they originally aimed to release their last internal combustion engine models in 2026 and shift to all-electric vehicles by 2033, but this plan is now revised. Audi and Volkswagen will continue to use ICEs.

ICE Engines To Be Updated

German publication Handelsblatt reports that Volkswagen and Audi will invest in updated versions of their current models with ICEs. This will be offered at least until the beginning of the next decade. The official decision on the investment in these models will be made in March.

The announcement comes after a long period in which almost all Volkswagen Group brands, as well as other competing brands, have postponed their electrification plans due to sluggish sales of electric cars. Last year, Porsche announced that it would create internal combustion engines for future models that were initially purely electric.

Bentley has also delayed the launch of its first production electric model by a year and abandoned plans to become a purely electric brand in 2030. Lamborghini has also delayed the launch of its first electric model until 2029.

Of course, the decisions of Volkswagen Group management will also affect more affordable brands such as Škoda, Seat and Cupra.

Last year, Volkswagen’s electric car sales fell by 2.7 percent compared to 2023. Audi had a larger decline of 7.8 percent in electric car sales. Overall, sales of zero-emission vehicles across the Volkswagen Group fell by 3.4 percent.

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