Numerous automotive groups have announced plans to either completely halt manufacturing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles or to markedly limit production thereof. Rather, such companies plan to start making electric cars.

Now Audi says the same. The German carmaker expects to stop rolling out fossil-fueled cars by 2033 at the latest, Audi Chief Executive Markus Duesmann informs, according to news agency AFP.

Further, from 2026 the company will only launch new models that are fully electric.

At the same time, Audi plans to gradually phase out its existing ICE models ahead of 2033 – although this might not apply to China, which has become the world's largest car market.

Duesmann says Audi's local partners in China could continue making cars running on gasoline and diesel beyond that year, AFP reports.

Automotive groups all over the world are spending major sums pivoting toward EVs due to mounting global concerns about climate change.

In Europe, stricter fuel-efficient requirements from the EU implemented to limit exhaust gas pollution are also helping to expedite the shift toward electrics.

The Euronorm technical standard for vehicles sets limits on permitted pollution levels for cars, buses and other vehicles. The rules apply to all new cars sold in the EU regardless of origin.

English Edit: Daniel Frank Christensen

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