That was the plan. That is, until it wasn't the plan anymore. Because now Audi won't just be selling cars from 2032 onwards.
You have a point of view, right up until the day you take a new one. And Audi has done that, because now the Germans no longer want to only sell electric cars.
And at least not from 2032. The decision was made because the management in Ingolstadt has read the writing on the wall. Namely, that electric cars are not selling well enough.
This is what Motor1 writes.
When Audi recently presented its annual accounts to the outside world, CEO Gernot Döllner emphasized that the combustion engine still plays a crucial role.
That's why he, who took over the job on September 1, 2023, is not sure that his car brand can do without the combustion engine. At least he is not ready to say goodbye to the technology.
– In all our markets we will take a look at the combustion engine. We had said that 2032 was our deadline. But we have to reassess that, says Döllner.
The plan was for Audi to launch its last new car with a combustion engine next year. That is, 2026. After that, the idea was to let the car run until 2032, after which Audi would wave goodbye to everything with an engine.
Well, except for the kind of motors that run on electricity. However, the Germans are not the only ones who must publicly admit that they were wrong.
Volvo suddenly doesn't want to say goodbye to the combustion engine either. And certainly not in Australia, where the Chinese brand had previously vowed to completely eliminate both pure gasoline cars and hybrids by 2026.
– The other thing I also think we've learned in a couple of years is that there's no point in pushing a strategy forward if our customers aren't ready for it, says Stephen Connor, director of the car brand 'downunder'.
