Status: 05.07.2021 7:03 p.m.
On July 14, the EU Commission will announce its climate plans and presumably impose even stricter CO2 reduction targets on the automotive industry. Nevertheless, German carmakers are hesitant to phase out combustion engines.
by Notker Blechner,
tagesschau.de
Up to now the advertising slogan at Audi was “Vorsprung durch Technik”. Soon it could perhaps be renamed “Vorsprung durch Klimaschutz” – at least in Germany. Because according to the current state of affairs, Audi is likely to be the first German car manufacturer to say goodbye to the combustion engine. From 2026 on, the premium manufacturer will no longer bring any new models with diesel or gasoline engines onto the market. The last fuel SUV is to be presented in 2026 and sold by 2033. “In 2033, combustion engines will finally be over,” says Audi boss Markus Duesmann. This also applies to hybrid models.
VW is still waiting
Other manufacturers are much more cautious and do not want to commit themselves. The Audi parent company VW leaves the global future of the combustion engine open. “In Europe we will exit the business with combustion vehicles between 2033 and 2035,” announced VW sales director Klaus Zellmer at the end of June. In the USA and China, the exit will take place later, in South America and Asia even much later. The goal is: By 2030, 70 percent of all new VW models should be purely electric.
VW brand boss Ralf Brandstätter believes the discussion about when to say goodbye to the combustion engine is too short. For the path to e-mobility it is also important to develop an appropriate charging infrastructure and to advance the energy transition. “As long as we still have a high proportion of electricity from coal, it does not make sense to push for a high proportion of electric cars,” he said. In addition, in the premium segment, change is possible faster in the so-called volume business, emphasize the Wolfsburg-based company. “Volume manufacturers have to pay more attention to exports,” explains car expert Stefan Bratzel from the Center of Automotive Management. In South America, Russia or Asia, combustion engines are likely to dominate the streetscape for longer than in Europe.
BMW waives a specific date
But apart from Audi, the German premium manufacturers are also keeping a low profile with regard to the future of the combustion engine. BMW boss Oliver Zipse refuses to give an end date and wants to remain open to all types of drive – for the time being. The Munich-based company wants to sell half of its battery-powered cars by 2030. In some markets, however, the combustion engine is still needed. “If a manufacturer then has no more combustion engines, it will lose half the market volume,” says Zipse. BMW does not want to pursue such a “shrinking course”.
Auto expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the Car Center Automotive Research in Duisburg believes that the Munich-based company had backed the wrong horse for too long with the diesel and plug-in hybrid. That is why one does not dare to speak plain language. BMW’s strategy is to stretch the diesel longer. “There is a little lack of courage,” said Dudenhöffer tagesschau.de.
Daimler wants to make the model range climate neutral by 2039
The goals at Daimler sound a little bolder and clearer. The Stuttgart-based company has announced that the number of model variants with diesel or gasoline will be reduced by 70 percent by 2030. And the entire model range should then be CO2-neutral by 2039 – possibly even earlier. From corporate circles it is said that Daimler boss Ola Källenius is preparing employees for a sales ban on internal combustion engines from 2030 onwards. Nevertheless, Källenius does not yet want to announce an exit date. In several countries, diesel and gasoline vehicles would be in demand for longer than in Europe, the Swede happily explains.
Volvo and Ford rush ahead
Other foreign automakers are less hesitant. Ford, for example, announced the end of combustion engines for 2030 a few months ago. At least in Europe, only e-Fords will then be offered. Volvo is already planning the switch. From 2030 onwards, the Swedes only want to sell electric cars. As early as 2025, the proportion of electric vehicles sold is expected to be 50 percent.
Individual countries are as advanced as Volvo and Ford. Great Britain will ban the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines on the island from 2030. The Johnson government wants to make the country the most attractive location for the production of electric vehicles. So far, however, it has only made half a billion pounds available for the promotion of so-called giga factories – significantly less than the EU.
Is the EU tightening the CO2 reduction targets?
Brussels could announce a concrete end for combustion vehicles in the coming week. On July 14th, the EU Commission will present its detailed climate protection plans and explain how the goals are to be achieved. There is allegedly a discussion about a reduction of CO2 emissions by 100 percent by 2035. That means: From this date on, no more diesel or gasoline cars will be allowed to be placed on the market.
Such a de facto ban on the sale of combustion vehicles would put German manufacturers under even greater pressure. The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) absolutely wants to prevent this. It remains to be seen whether the German auto lobbyists will once again prevail in Brussels and reach less stringent limits. The VDA invites you to a half-yearly press conference on Wednesday. There, President Hildegard Müller should make the position of the industry clear again.