Audi abandons all-EV plan; gas powered cars to continue after 2033

Audi changes its mind in becoming an all-EV brand by 2033

It’s been four years since Audi announced that they will stop making internal combustion engines by 2033. But given the current situation and with EV demand not rising as fast as predicted, the German automaker has changed its tune.

Audi will no longer be an electric-only brand by 2033, CEO Gernot Döllner tells Autocar magazine. Furthermore, the brand is not just pushing back on its all-EV plans, it also appears that they’ve ditched the idea completely as they now have no fixed date for the full transition.

“Audi is launching from 2024-2026 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.” CEO Döllner tells Autocar in an interview.

The all-electric plan for Audi was announced under the then-CEO Markus Duesmann. With Döllner taking over in 2023, the current CEO reversed it, citing flexibility as the main reason. The decision also includes Audi’s high-performance RS models.

But despite the announcement, Audi is still set to trim its model range. The Q3 and A3 models will now be the entry level cars for the brand, while the A8, Q7, and Q9 will be the range-topping vehicles.

Audi is also set to race in Formula 1 next year, and the CEO says the learnings from efficiency and hybrid powertrain management from the new F1 engine rules may also be passed down to Audi’s road cars.

So does this mean the R8 and TT could potentially return? The CEO says Audi is “thinking about everything… we are car guys, let yourself be surprised”. But he quickly added that it’s “a little too early to talk about that.”