THE Volkswagen is betting heavily on electric models and, although this does not mean an immediate abandonment of internal combustion models, the first changes in the strategy of the German group are already beginning to be felt.
At an industry conference in Wolfsburg, Germany, Volkswagen Strategy Director Michael Jost said “Our colleagues (engineers) are working on the latest platform for models that are not CO2 neutral“. With this statement, Michael Jost leaves no doubt about the direction the German brand intends to take in the future.
Volkswagen's strategy director also stated: "we are gradually reducing combustion engines to a minimum." This revelation is not at all surprising. Just take into account the Volkswagen Group's strong commitment to electric cars, which even led to the purchase of batteries that make it possible to produce around 50 million electric cars.
It's going to happen... but it's not already
Despite Michael Jost's statements confirming Volkswagen's willingness to overhaul the combustion engine, Volkswagen's strategy director did not fail to warn that this change will not happen overnight . According to Jost, Volkswagen is expected to continue modifying its combustion engines after introducing the new platform for petrol and diesel models in the next decade (probably in 2026).
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In fact, Volkswagen predicts that even even after 2050 there should continue to be petrol and diesel models , but only in regions where the electric charging network is not yet sufficient. Meanwhile, Volkswagen plans to introduce the first model based on its platform for electric vehicles (the MEB) to the market as early as next year, with the arrival of the hatchback I.D.
Michael Jost also said that Volkswagen "made mistakes", referring to Dieselgate, and also stated that the brand "had clear responsibility in the case".
Sources: Bloomberg