One by one, automakers are backtracking on the ambitious EV goals they announced a few years ago. Audi is the latest to acknowledge that sales of cars with combustion engines might continue beyond the previously scheduled cutoff date. In 2021, the company with the Four Rings promised to transition to electric-only vehicles by 2033, but it is now considering keeping ICE vehicles in its lineup for a longer period.
Speaking with Top Gear magazine, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner emphasized that the German luxury brand must remain “flexible.” He made this statement in the context of a potential decision by the European Union to delay its goal of banning sales of new cars that produce harmful emissions by 2035. However, the top brass in Ingolstadt, who also heads Technical Development, added that EVs are the only way to go in the long run.
“Legislation now says the car has to be locally emission-free, and even e-fuels don’t help because it isn’t locally emission-free. If we as mankind believe we need a change in CO2–and look at the weather, we have to change–the only way is a battery vehicle. The Paris Agreement says we will need CO2 neutrality in 2050.”
In the meantime, Audi is increasing its focus on plug-in hybrid offerings. All future cars with gas engines will include a PHEV option. Döllner acknowledged that these partially electrified powertrains will remain in the lineup longer than planned, as the transition to pure EVs isn’t progressing as quickly as originally anticipated.
Sitting underneath the same VW Group corporate umbrella, Porsche said something similar a few days ago. It recognized that the transition to EVs is taking longer than projected. It’s sticking to its goal of having electric cars account for more than 80 percent of sales by the decade’s end, but it now admits that’ll depend on customer demand. With that in mind, the Cayenne will retain its big V-8 engine beyond 2030.
Staying within the VW Group, Bentley wanted to discontinue gas cars by 2030 but that’s not happening anymore. The new target is 2033. In addition, the company’s first EV is no longer coming out in 2025 as the zero-emission model has been pushed back by a year due to “platform-related concerns” and issues with software.
Last week, Audi’s rival Volvo also hinted that internal combustion engines could remain in the lineup into the next decade. That’s despite the brand’s goal, announced in 2021, to go fully electric by 2030. The Swedish marque still plans to offer an exclusively electric lineup in six years, but uneven adoption of EVs around the world might necessitate a change in plans. To play it safe, CEO Jim Rowan announced that further investments will be made in mild hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Speaking of competitors, Mercedes initially aimed for PHEVs and EVs to make up 50 percent of its annual sales by 2025. However, after a reality check, the new goal has been adjusted to achieve this target by the end of the decade. Cars with the three-pointed star will continue to be powered by gas engines “well into the 2030s.” Previously, the company had projected that it would go completely electric by 2030 “where market conditions allow.”
Outside of the luxury segment, Ford of Europe won’t abandon ICE after this decade. The intent was to sell only electric passenger cars from 2030 but COO of the Blue Oval’s Model E electrification division, Marin Gjaja, admitted “that was too ambitious.”
Audi’s mainstream sister brand Volkswagen is not ruling out keeping the current-generation Golf with ICE power in its lineup until the EU bans sales of new cars with emissions. This would be in 10 years, provided the legislation remains unchanged until 2035. The ninth-gen Golf will be electric-only once it goes on sale closer to the end of this decade, but it’ll peacefully coexist with the gas-fueled Mk8 for many years.
Toyota, the world’s largest car manufacturer, doesn’t even believe in a full transition to EVs. A few months ago, Chairman Akio Toyoda said electric vehicles will never exceed a 30 percent market share. He thinks that “engines will surely remain,” which is why a new family of inline-four units is in the works. Toyota recently allied with Mazda and Subaru to express their long-term commitment to ICE tech with a focus on hybrids and carbon-neutral fuels.
These are challenging times for automakers, possibly the most difficult ever. On one hand, stricter regulations are pushing companies to invest in EVs to reduce fleet emissions and avoid hefty penalties. On the other hand, electric cars remain considerably more expensive, and the charging infrastructure is still lacking.
As a result, many people are either holding on to their gas cars or buying new ones. If EVs are indeed the future, then ICE is a necessary evil to fund the development of an emissions-free lineup. As things stand, you can’t have one without the other.