Audi has backtracked on its decision to end the development and sale of models powered by internal combustion engines in 2033, and the German manufacturer now has no fixed date for ending plans for its ICE-powered models, reported Autocar. Earlier in 2021, then-CEO Markus Duesmann was quoted by a German news outlet as saying that Audi planned to halt the introduction of new, internal combustion engine-powered models in 2026, although in March this year current CEO Gernot Döllner said that the marque has to “reassess those dates and deadlines” due to different rates of EV adoption in key global markets. Döllner emphasised that he “had not been the one to communicate the end date,” with that decision being taken by previous management, but confirmed he had reversed the decision to discontinue ICE models as he “believes in flexibility,” including for the brand’s high-performance RS models. The Audi A1 Q2 appear set to be discontinued “Audi is launching [until 2026] a completely new line-up of internal combustion engine and plug-in hybrid vehicles, and that gives us complete flexibility for at least another seven, eight, maybe 10 years, and then we will see how our markets develop. We have already decided to extend the production beyond the communicated end dates of the past,” Döllner said. Döllner also confirmed that Audi would be leading development for all Volkswagen Group hardware and software architectures for the group’s larger models, including next-generation SSP platform-based models that would see the manufacturer group head towards software-defined vehicles for the first time, with the first SSP-based Audi models to emerge from late-2027, according to Autocar. There are cuts to the range looming, however, and Audi does not plan to replace the current A1 and Q2 models. This would then make the A3 and Q3 the entry points to the Audi range, while the range will be topped by the A8 on the car side and by the Q7, Q8 and a planned Q9 for the SUVs.
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