Volkswagen to stop petrol and diesel car sales in Norway from 2024

Volkswagen will stop the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in Norway by the end of this year as it transitions to only retailing electric vehicles (EVs) in the Scandinavian country. Volkswagen’s importer in Norway - Moller Mobility Group - released a press release earlier this week announcing the development, while celebrating the brand’s 75th anniversary in the country on October 21.

Since 1948, Volkswagen sold 1.1 million vehicles in Norway, while EVs contributed around 102,000 units to the overall number. The first Volkswagen electric vehicle went on sale in Norway on October 21, 2023, making the date even more special for the German auto brand and its local importer.

Explaining the decision, Ulf Tore Hekneby, Managing Director at Volkswagen importer Harald A. Møller AS, said, “It may seem strange to mark the milestone by removing model icons from our portfolio, but this has been an ambitious and important investment over time. The purpose has been to drive forward changes that we believe are of crucial importance."

While Tesla has a stronghold on EV sales in Norway, Volkswagen is catching up fast with its new ID range of EVs finding acceptance

Volkswagen will sell its last Golf in Norway in December this year and the importer is encouraging customers to consider the brand’s new ID range of electric cars already on sale in the country. The automaker will also introduce the new ID.7 electric sedan in Norway soon, which essentially steps in as a replacement for the Passat.

Norway has been the leader globally when it comes to EV adoption with the country having an established charging infrastructure in place. EVs comprise about 80 per cent of the total new car sales in the market and Tesla is one of the biggest players here. In fact, Norway has banned the sale of new ICE cars from 2025 onwards, which makes the country one of the earliest to make the complete transition to EVs.

The best-selling EV in Norway is the Tesla Model Y, while Volkswagen already has a stronghold with the ID.4, which is the second bestseller. The ID.3 is the sixth top-selling EV in the market. Globally too, VW’s EV range has seen a sharp increase in adoption with the company reporting a 45 per cent rise in electric vehicle deliveries as of September 2023. Between January and September this year, the company sold 531,500 EVs globally. Europe remains the brand’s biggest market followed by the US and China. Globally too, the VW ID.4 and ID.5 are the brand’s bestselling models, followed by the ID.3.