Audi Abandons Combustion Engine Development
German automotive manufacturer Audi is abandoning new internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2021, CEO Marcus Duesmann has confirmed.
- Audi will no longer develop new internal combustion engines
- Audi will continue to sell the current internal combustion engines on the market
- Euro 7 standard places extreme restrictions on internal combustion engine developments
- Audi to focus on developing e-mobility cars like the Q4 e-tron
Audi abandons combustion engine development
Audi CEO Marcus Duesmann has confirmed that Audi will no longer develop new internal combustion engines in an interview with Automobilwoch.de earlier this week. Mr Duesmann said:
"The EU plans for even stricter Euro 7 emissions standards that present a significant technical challenge. This is very restrictive for the development of the combustion engine. We will no longer develop new internal combustion engines, but instead, will adapt our existing internal combustion engines to new emission guidelines".
Mr Duesmann did note that many regions of the world currently have poor energy supply or charging infrastructure, which is why they will continue to sell the current host of petrol and diesel cars that are already on the market. But they will not develop any new engine platforms.
What does this mean?
It simply means that Audi aren't going to develop any new internal combustion engines (ICE) from here on out, but they will continue to sell and modify their current ICE for the Euro 7 emissions standards. Cars like the performance Audi S and RS range aren't going to see any new engine platforms and the current ones will more than likely be modified in order to meet the Euro 7 standards. Whether this means they are going to lose or keep horsepower to comply with the new regulations remains to be seen.
If you're a fan of the VAG EA888 2.0-litre turbo engine that is used in many different cars such as the Audi S3, Golf GTi and Golf R, this will more than likely be the last ever ICE engine they make. As they can simply make modifications to it and aren't interested in building a brand new ICE from the ground up. Unfortunately, this means fantastic engines like the Audi R8's 5.2-litre V10 will be the last of its kind as well.
Volkswagen haven't officially come out to say they are abandoning ICE themselves (at the time of this article), but with the recent focus on electric cars like the ID.3 and ID.4, we imagine they aren't far behind with this decision. BMW CEO Oliver Zipse says that they have no plans to stop the development of new ICE.
Although Audi are abandoning ICE development, brands within the VAG (Volkswagen Group) may have other plans. For example, Porsche, Lamborghini and SEAT have no plans to abandon ICE. This means that you may see Audi S and RS models borrowing engine parts or even complete motors from other brands within VAG. It may not be long before you see an Audi RS3 with a Porsche 911 engine.
Audi has previously mentioned that they want to have at least 20 fully electric vehicles by 2025. Last month Audi launched the brand new e-tron GT which aims at the Porsche Taycan audience. The all-electric Q4 e-tron SUV is due to be released sometime in summer 2021.
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