Audi is abandoning electric cars: it will prioritise plug-in hybrids

Just a few weeks ago, it was Porsche who claimed they did not see much progress in the electric car market in the short term. So they decided to stop making high investments in this type of vehicle and focus more on plug-in hybrid cars. Now, it is another of the brands in the Volkswagen group that has decided to take this intermediate path.

This does not mean that the path towards the electric car is being abandoned; rather, just like Porsche, Audi will continue to invest in electric mobility, but focusing on plug-in hybrid cars. This will allow progress in developing increasingly efficient vehicles of this type, and advances in new batteries and better electric motors, without giving up the range and advantages of the combustion engine.

Among the novelties this new strategy brings, the development of new combustion engines stands out, which will be matched to the electric mobility systems that will be part of the plug-in hybrid models. There is not much data about these new combustion engines, but they are expected to be installed in Audi cars until 2033 at the latest.

It is also known that the new battery packs prepared for these plug-in hybrid cars will allow an all-electric range of up to 100 km. The strategic plan has changed substantially over the last few months and has developed until a date and the propulsion systems available across its models were set.

There will be three propulsion systems available: the combustion engine, which will be gradually phased out; the plug-in hybrid system, which will serve as a bridge to the electric car; and finally fully electric models. That said, 2026 seems to be the deadline for launching its last new models with combustion engines, which will remain available until 2033, the year in which all of them will be electric, after increasing its plug-in hybrid offering.