Automotive giants Volkswagen and Audi are reportedly considering keeping certain combustion engine models on the market in Europe for a longer period. According to the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, citing multiple insiders, the decision could be made during the upcoming investment planning round at VW in early March.
Sources suggest that Volkswagen’s best-selling models, such as the Golf, T-Roc, or Tiguan, could still receive a facelift in the 2030s, which was not previously planned. Similar discussions are taking place at Audi, focusing on the future of the compact A3 model.
The models could, according to insiders, continue to be sold until 2035, should the planned phase-out of combustion engines in Europe, set to take effect in the mid-2030s, be delayed. Volkswagen and Audi had initially planned to stop selling combustion engines in Europe by 2033.
Officially, the companies have not yet confirmed the reports, with VW declining to comment on the possibility of continuing to sell combustion engines after 2033. Audi stated that the 2033 deadline corresponds to the current state of their planning.
The reports suggest that the companies are reevaluating their goals in light of slow growth in the electric vehicle market. “Nobody would still set those targets in stone today” said an insider, implying that the companies are reassessing their plans in the face of changing circumstances.