BERLIN — Audi will phase out production of combustion engines by early next decade except in China, as the company accelerates its transition to becoming an EV-only automaker, CEO Markus Duesmann said.
Starting in 2026, Audi will only launch new all-electric models on the global market, the automaker said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Audi is ready to make its decisive and powerful move into the electric age,” Duesmann said in the statement.
The automaker will gradually phase out the production of internal combustion engines until 2033. “The exact timing of the combustion engine’s discontinuation at Audi will ultimately be decided by customers and legislation,” Audi said.
“The company expects to see continued demand in China beyond 2033, which is why there could be a supply of vehicles there with combustion engines manufactured locally,” the statement added.
Audi plans to significantly expand its range of full-electric models and by 2025 aims to have more than 20 full-electric models in its lineup.
“With the new e-tron GT, RS e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron, and Q4 Sportback e-tron models, Audi is already launching more electric cars than models with combustion engines this year,” it said.
Audi did not provide further details on how its product range will evolve. It also did not mention the combustion engine phaseout timing in North America.
German press reports said the last internal combustion engine model built by Audi will likely be the Q8, which will launch in 2026 alongside an electric variant, the Q8 e-tron.
The A3 and A4 will not have combustion-engine successors but will be replaced by the battery-powered A3 e-tron and A4 e-tron and the A5 and A6 models will follow a similar timetable, the reports said.
