VW’s plans to ditch diesel, petrol
Volkswagen has confirmed that it will launch its final generation combustion engines in 2026 as it looks to ditch petrol and diesel development.
The German carmaker has already committed to making a shift toward battery-driven vehicles after a damaging dieselemissions cheating scandal in
2015, which forced the carmaker to pay more than €27 billion in fines for hiding excessive pollution.
Michael Jost, strategy chief at VW, told an automotive summit conferences in Wolfsburg, Germany, this week: “In the year
2026 will be the last product start on a combustion engine platform.”
A spokesman for VW confirmed that Jost's remarks meant that VW — which is Europe and China's best-selling passenger car brand — will focus on electric cars instead in eight years.
Based on Volkswagen's typical seven-year model cycles, the last newly developed petrol and diesel engines will be made available on the Mk9 Golf, which will be due for launch around 2026.
IN THE YEAR 2026 WILL BE THE LAST PRODUCT START ON A COMBUSTION ENGINE PLATFORM Michael Jost, strategy chief at VW
While this means the German manufacturer won't create new combustion engines, it does not mark the end of production.
VW will continue to adapt its petrol and diesel-engined cars to meet environmental standards during the lifetime of those vehicles, but the German carmaker is now committed to radical steps to stop global warming, Jost said.
As a way to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord, Volkswagen has changed its car development benchmarks to
include the target of radically cutting levels of carbon dioxide pollution in production as well, the strategy chief added.
The confirmation is likely to impact all brands that sit within VW Group ownership.
This includes mainstream car makers such as Audi, Seat and Skoda as well as the luxury arm of the motor giant, which has Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche on its books.
Volkswagen has already said it will offer more than 50 electric cars by 2025 as part of ambitions plans outlined in the Strategy 2025 proposal.
That would be an increase from the five on sale in the UK now.
Jost also predicted that the last vehicle with a combustion engine would be sold around 2040, which is when the UK is set to introduce a ban on the sale on new petrol and diesel cars.