Good news, everyone (except perhaps those who live near a coastline). Audi has reversed its plan to ditch combustion engines completely by 2033. Instead, it has no firm end date and wants to be flexible. And that includes Audi’s RS models, such as the RS6 Avant, which will continue to offer powerful gasoline-fueled engines for “maybe 10 years” before the company starts thinking about going fully electric.
New CEO Blames Old CEO For Electric Deadline
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner put the blame on the company’s prior boss. Speaking with Autocar, Döllner made it clear that he “had not been the one to communicate the end date.” No more internal combustion at all by 2033 and no new gas models after 2026 were both announced as part of the company’s Vorsprung 2030 strategy in 2022. That announcement was made under the leadership of Markus Duesmann, who stepped down not long after making that commitment. Duesmann’s push toward EVs was at least partially driven by the need to get out from under the Volkswagen Group’s Dieselgate scandal.
“Audi is launching from 2024-2026 a completely new line-up of internal combustion engine and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and that gives us complete flexibility for at least another seven, eight, maybe 10 years, and then we will see how our markets develop. We have already decided to extend the production beyond the communicated end dates of the past.”
– Audi CEO Gernot Döllner
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While the brand plans 10 new PHEV models this year, that no longer appears to be a last gasp for ICE power. Corporate sibling Porsche recently announced its own extension of combustion power, including new PHEVs as well as a new V8 engine that could also be used by Audi.
Audi Will Consolidate Its Lineup Anyway
There will still be big changes at Audi, though, to help combat struggling sales. The automaker is planning to drop the A1 and Q2 models, though those are not sold in the US. An A3-sized EV is still in development for next year, he said, but Audi won’t go smaller.
Audi will also take on the development of hardware and software architectures for large (A5-sized and up) models for the VW Group going forward. That includes the new SSP platform that will have help from Rivian and is set to hit the market around the end of 2027.
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It was a disappointing 2024 for the German marque, but it plans to bounce back this year with a slew of new product launches.
The other big news at the company is the return to F1 which could result in some new road cars. Autocar asked Döllner if an F1 team meant new versions of the R8 or TT. He replied that “we are car guys, let yourself be surprised,” and said that Audi was “thinking about everything.”
Asked to expand on that, he said “There is room for Audi in such fields. We are evaluating different options but it’s a little too early to talk about that.”
Source: Autocar
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