All electric

Audi to launch only new all-electric vehicles from 2026.

Audi CEO Markus Duesmann has announced that from 2026, Audi will launch only new all-electric models onto the global market, with internal combustion engines to be phased out by 2033.

29 June, 2021


Audi will also commence work on what will be the company’s last internal combustion engine in 2026

The winds of change are blowing strong at Audi, as the brand’s transition to all-electric models gathers momentum. Speaking at the recent Climate Neutrality Foundation conference in Berlin, Audi AG CEO, Markus Duesmann confirmed that from 2026, the brand would launch only new models onto the global market that are all-electric and that the internal combustion engine (ICE)  would be phased out by 2033.

“Audi is ready to make its decisive and powerful move into the electric age,” Duesmann told the conference, but stressed that Audi will also be investing in the development of the combustion engine right up to its final discontinuation.

The announcement is in keeping with the brand’s long term plans that will see Audi achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. More than 20 e-models are set to join the Audi lineup by the year 2025 and internationally, the brand will launch more electric cars than models with combustion engines this year. 

Audi will also commence work on what will be the company’s last internal combustion engine in 2026 with a view to making it more efficient than ever before for the transition period between ICE and all-electric. 

The exact timing of the combustion engine’s discontinuation at Audi will ultimately be decided by customers and legislation, but in the meantime, Mr Duesmann said that development work would ensure that the engine exceeded past performance and efficiency standards:
“Audi’s last internal combustion engine will be the best we've ever built,” Mr Duesmann said.

With charging infrastructure expanding rapidly around the globe, including here in Australia, the introduction of all-electric models is set to expand exponentially. In Australia, leading EV charging network ChargeFox has announced that it will add more than 4000 additional ‘plugs’ to the network by the end of 2025, with 2000 of those delivering fast and or ultra-rapid charging speeds. And while globally Audi has partnered with energy suppliers to promote the expansion of renewable energy sources, here too, Audi Australia committed to 100 percent renewable energy from this year, the move accredited through GreenPower and primarily sourced from the Capital Wind Farm precinct in Bungendore near Canberra. GreenPower is a government-managed program that ensures that individuals and businesses who buy from GreenPower Providers support greater renewable energy generation in Australia. 

The Audi e-tron and Audi e-tron Sportback were launched in Australia last year, winning customers and the motoring press alike, including the award for Best Electric vehicle in the coveted Drive Car of the Year awards.

These will be joined by a host of new electric models in the future, including the exciting high-performance he Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT models which were launched globally earlier this year.

In Australia, leading EV charging network ChargeFox has announced that it will add more than 4000 additional ‘plugs’ to the network by the end of 2025