The future of cars is electric and petrol, says VW

VOLKSWAGEN Group is moving towards a future where electric cars are integral, but the company’s directors admit that internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles are going to be around for a while yet.

VW Group CEO, Oliver Blume, told GoAuto at IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich this week that the company is all-in on electric cars being the next step for the mainstream car market, but he also pointed out that this isn’t going to be a case of simply flicking a switch to turn off ICE cars.

“We are in the middle of a transformation, and we said our strategy clearly on electromobility, and I'm convinced that electric technology will be more competitive than combustion-engine cars. But the ramp-up curve is a ramp -up curve,” he said.

“I think we will be in the transformation at least for the next 10 years or more, and therefore we are offering a mix of technologies, successful combustion-engine cars, hybrid and electric mobility with a strong ramp-up curve,” he said.

“We have the target in Europe for the Volkswagen brand, for example, selling over 80 per cent electric cars by 2030. Porsche worldwide (target by 2030) is 80 per cent,” he said. “So we have to ramp-up curve, being flexible, and then we will see.

“I think we need a kind of technology openness because there are some technologies that still need a bit of development time,” he commented, referring largely to infrastructure concerns and battery technology development.

Skoda CEO, Klaus Zellmer, said the Czech brand understands that EVs are part of the solution, but that other existing powertrain technologies are not going away overnight.

When asked about the potential timeframe for petrol models to continue to exist in markets like Australia, Mr Zellmer answered quite frankly: “I don't really care,” he said.

“I think, you know, that there used to be a competition when you were asking that question to car manufacturers, they would say 2028 or 2027.

“No, I don't care. It's the consumers that will decide, and of course legislation,” he said.

“Europe has said 2035. Okay. We can plan with that. But before that, consumers will decide based on package, charging infrastructure, their psychology, range anxiety – you know, all the preferences that happen, and our responsibility as a car manufacturer is to cater for those preferences, and this is what we do,” he said.

He said that Skoda will continue to sell petrol cars “as long as they are in demand”, meaning the Czech brand could be one of the last marques under the VW Group umbrella with ICE options for buyers.

“If there's demand for that, and of course within the legislation, new emission standards, stuff like that, that is coming up that we need to fulfil, yes.

“I'm not talking about ‘last man standing’ – you're going to see other manufacturers from my point of view as well, that will say, you know, our cars are there, there’s demand. Consumers either stay in their old cars, which potentially have more painful emissions than the new cars.

“So let's concentrate on what consumers prefer, and let's not get into this race of beating each other to be the fastest – because at the end of the day, as you know, it's one decision not made by us,” said Mr Zellmer.

Volkswagen Group already has a number of fully-electric products across multiple brands, including VW, Skoda, Audi, Cupra and Porsche.

The company is developing a democratising MEB Small platform that will underpin a family of small front-wheel drive electric cars from VW, Skoda and Cupra in the coming years, but the existing, established nameplates have stated their intentions to keep offering petrol- and/or diesel-powered vehicles for years to come.