Audi to go all electric, plans to phase out petrol, diesel cars by 2026

Audi plans to phase out phase out its ICE vehicles that run on conventional fuel like petrol and diesel, in the next five years. The German auto giant will now focus exclusively on electric vehicles, keeping in line with the carmaker's aim to reduce polluting vehicles from its lineup and only include electric vehicles from 2028.

According to a report, the automaker Audi has set a date for the last introduction of new combustion models. Company boss Markus Duesmann told works councils and top managers on Thursday that from 2026 onwards, no new petrol and diesel models would be presented, and no hybrid versions either, reports the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

Audi plans to introduce as many as 20 battery-powered electric vehicles in the next five years as part of the Volkswagen Group’s push for electrification.

The last launch of an ICE vehicle from the Audi stable will be a Q model, which is likely to be an urban SUV, and is expected to go on sale later. After that, Audi wants to sell only battery vehicles worldwide. The Audi A3 and A4 models will no longer to have direct successors, but will be completely redesigned and renamed.

An Audi spokesperson said the company was not making any speculations. Audi has already announced that it will no longer develop new combustion engines, but only improve existing ones.

Audi unveiled the 2022 Q4 e-tron electric crossover recently. It offers a range between 321 kms and 520 kms on single charge.

Audi, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, relies on its parent company for electrification of its entire fleet of cars. Volkswagen is one of the traditional manufacturers that is aggressively pushing for electric cars in the industry in an effort to attain carbon neutral status. With its ID.3 and ID.4 models among others, it is posing a serious alternative to a market currently monopolised by Tesla.