Audi to quit developing internal combustion engines in 2026
June 24, 2021
Back in March, Audi announced that it would be stopping production of its internal combustion engines and would focus on electric powertrains. Due to the Euro 7 emission regulations that make ICE-powered vehicles tough to produce. Additionally, many countries are planning to ban ICE-powered vehicles in the near future. While the first announcement from Audi did not put a timeline on this, CEO Marcus Duesmann has cleared the air and by announcing that from 2026 onwards the automaker will no longer make either gasoline or diesel powered engines.
A German publication Automobilewoche has confirmed the news. Reports state that, Duesmann made an official announcement last week at a meeting at Audi’s Ingolstadt, Germany Headquarters.
However , the abolishment of ICE vehicles would not be an immediate affair, cars & SUVs with conventional ICE powertrains manufactured before the 2026 cut-off date are slated for sale in to the early 2030s. Therefore, the upcoming Q8 SUV is going to be the last internal combustion-powered Audi, that will launch with an electric Q8 E-Tron model in 2026. According to the reports from Germany’s Handelsblatt, the fossil-fuel powered Q8 will be phased out in 2032, at that point Audi aims to be fully electric.
Audi’s current EV line-up comprises of six models: the E-Tron GT and RS E-Tron GT performance sedans,Q4 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron Sportback utility vehicles and the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback crossovers. With that being stated, the automaker has affirmed plans of officially launching 20 new EV’s globally by 2025. In addition to the existing product line would be the Audi A6 E-Tron, an internal-combustion powered A6 model in 2023. The new A5 is set to follow a similar launch. The wave of new electric products from Audi emerges from the Volkswagen Group, as a result of settlement agreements arising from the Dieselgate emissions cheating scandal.
With this declaration from Duesmann, Audi has significantly contributed to publicly cement its electric vehicle plans when compared to Mercedes or BMW. Mercedes has affirmed its goal to accelerate EV advancement but has yet to confirm a stipulated timeline. BMW has guaranteed that half of its earnings will be generated completely from electric models by 2030, however they have stated on various occasions that there aren’t any plans to eliminate internal combustion soon. This puts Audi in the forefront, as a luxury car manufacturer, even though the whole industry is progressing towards the EV path.