Audi may launch further ICE models beyond 2026; will continue making petrol, diesel engines while permitted

Though Audi had initially laid out a plan to halt the introduction of models with internal combustion engines from 2026, it appears that the German manufacturer may be reconsidering its plans, reported Autocar.

While it had previously announced that it would introduce its final ICE-powered model in 2026 – expected to be the next-generation Q7, which was to be discontinued in 2032 – different rates of electric vehicle adoption in key global markets mean that the carmaker could keep petrol and diesel-powered models on sale longer than initially planned.

“For all global regions, we are going to take a look at the life of combustion engines. 2032 was the date we had communicated, but we have to reassess those dates and deadlines,” Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said during the company’s annual results presentation, according to the publication.

Internal combustion engines will continue to play an important role in the medium-term, particularly as the basis for hybrid powertrains, as the transition to electric powertrains “is going to be longer than we had originally planned for,” Döllner said.

The latest ICE-powered models from Audi are set to continue on sale beyond the end of the decade, said Döllner, and Audi is prepared to further extend the lifecycles of these models if demand is there, and if legislation allows them to do so. “On balance, an extension of combustion engines will have a positive impact on our business model,” he said.

The current-generation Audi A5 that made its debut in July 2024 will be joined by a plug-in hybrid variant, as one of 10 PHEV models that the German brand is set to introduce this year, including PHEV versions of the A3, A6 (not to be confused with the A6 e-tron of the short-lived naming strategy), Q5 and the next-generation Q3.

Audi remains committed to maintaining a “flexible offering of powertrains” to avoid losing market share to rivals, and Döllner said that diesel engines will continue to play an important role in that context, though the company “will not invest heavily in new diesel [engine] generations,” he said.

Currently, Audi’s diesel engines are compliant with Euro 7 emissions regulations, and will continue to be offered as long as the carmaker is able to produce and bring the engines to market, Döllner continued. “We won’t extend our diesel line-up – if you look at the numbers, it’s declining – but it’s important to us, so we are flexible in that field,” Döllner said.

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