Volkswagen will continue to develop petrol and diesel engines long into the future, because it believes demand for combustion engines will continue beyond the 2030s.
Speaking on the eve of the Paris motor show, VW CEO Matthias Müller said: “The future is electric. Nevertheless, classic powertrains will continue to play a key role for the next two decades at least.”
Müller explained that while Volkswagen was to invest heavily in developing electric models, of which 30 are planned before the year 2025, it is committed to working with petrol and diesel engines.
"Regardless of all the new opportunities and possibilities the mobility world of tomorrow opens up for us, we must not neglect our existing technologies and core competences,” he said.
Müller made reference to the ongoing Dieselgate scandal, and said that it will have a profound effect on Volkswagen’s path. "It is and will remain an incisive turning point, a pivotal event in our history. We are working with all available resources to get to the roots of this crisis and work our way through all of the issues.”
Volkswagen’s push for an electric future is emphasised with the establishment of a Sustainability Council, which will feature nine well-known experts from the fields of science, politics and society.
Volkswagen says the council will advise its board of management on sustainability matters.
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