After the group subsidiary Audi, the core brand VW has now also given a specific time frame for the final departure from the combustion engine. “In Europe we will get out of business with combustion vehicles between 2033 and 2035,” said VW sales director Klaus Zellmer Munich Mercury. In the USA and China, the exit will take place a little later, in South America and Africa it will take a good deal longer. Just a few days ago, Audi announced that it would let the last combustion engines roll off the assembly line by 2033 at the latest.
VW will continue to work on improving its combustion engine, stressed Zellmer. This also applies to diesel. The planned tightening of the EU emissions standard (Euro 7) for diesel is a particular challenge. However, diesel drives are “still in great demand,” said the manager, especially among those who drive a lot.
The environmental protection organization Greenpeace ruled that anyone who, like Volkswagen, subscribes to the Paris Climate Agreement must stop rolling new diesels and gasoline vehicles off the production line in 2025. It is also doubtful whether European customers for “dirty combustion engines” could be found for so long. “If VW does not want to run the risk of being left on the shelves, the group should prepare for a much earlier departure from diesel and gasoline,” said Greenpeace traffic expert Tobias Austrup on Sunday of the dpa.