Volkswagen wants to say goodbye to combustion engines in Europe by 2035

Frankfurt auto maker Volkswagen He wants to gradually get out of business with combustion cars. “In Europe, we will go out of business with combustion vehicles between 2033 and 2035, in the US and China a little later,” said Volkswagen Sales Director Klaus Zellmer (Münchner Merkur) (Saturday edition).

“In South America and Africa, due to the lack of political framework conditions and infrastructure, it will take a little longer.” As a volume manufacturer, Volkswagen has different challenges that must be faced when making the switch over a car, for example manufacturers who sell vehicles mainly in Europe.

Principal Zelmer told the newspaper that the entire Volkswagen fleet would have been CO2-neutral by 2050 at the latest. In Europe, it aims to have a 70 percent share of total electric vehicle sales by 2030. This would prepare you for the possibility of tightening and even exceeding the European Union’s climate targets.

When it comes to the expiration dates of internal combustion engines, there are differences between German car companies. Volkswagen subsidiary Audi, for example, wants to introduce the last fuel-powered SUV in 2026. Production of cars with internal combustion engines will be phased out by 2033.

DaimlerCEO Ola Källenius has announced that the model range will be CO2-neutral before 2039. BMWCEO Oliver Zipps rejects a specific end date. By 2030, every second BMW is expected to be an electric car sold, by that time the small compact car division should have switched entirely to electric mobility.

For the second half of the year, Zelmer is confident of the semiconductor shortage, which is currently slowing auto production around the world. “We currently assume that the supply of chips will remain strained in the coming months, but the lowest point in the supply crunch will also be reached.” However, further production modifications cannot be ruled out.

More: The end of the internal combustion engine is near – which manufacturers will withdraw from the technology and when.