Volkswagen Is Phasing Out The TDI Engine; Only The Tiguan And Passat Will Keep It

The German carmaker is reducing the number of diesels due to emissions and costs, but at the same time, electrifying its popular models makes room for Audi, Porsche, and other brands of the group to continue using more powerful V6 and V8 engines.

The decision was confirmed by Volkswagen’s director of technical development Kai Grünitz in an interview with SportMediaset.

“Diesel will no longer be across the entire range. We will rely more on mild-hybrid and full-hybrid technology.”

According to him, the Tiguan and Passat will keep diesel for some time, while the other models will increasingly rely on new self-charging hybrids, including the new systems introduced in the Golf and T-Roc.

One of the main reasons why Volkswagen is abandoning diesel is the increasingly strict European CO₂ emission limits. Volkswagen has had problems fulfilling them for years, and the company could pay a large fine in 2026 as well. According to the text, Volkswagen has already set aside around 1.5 billion euros for this purpose.

Therefore, gasoline engines with 48-volt MHEV technology, as well as new self-charging hybrids, will play an increasingly important role.

The emission calculation system within the Volkswagen Group is particularly interesting. If Volkswagen as a brand achieves emissions below the permitted level, the excess CO₂ credits can be used to offset the emissions of other brands within the group, such as Audi and Porsche. That means Volkswagen’s sales of electrified and hybrid models could help the group continue to offer bigger engines. Grünitz even stated that in the future there should be room to continue offering V6 and V8 engines, along with gasoline or e-fuels.

In Europe, diesel has almost disappeared from new vehicles. The share of sales is below 10 percent, as classic hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and purely electric models take an increasingly large share of the pie.

That’s why keeping the 2.0 TDI in the Tiguan and Passat is primarily interesting to fleets and high-mileage drivers.

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