VW Says Next Generation Tiguan, Passat Are Amongst Its Last Crop Of ICE Vehicles
The age of the ICE is almost over at VW.
We all knew that VW wanted to phase out its ICE engines. We didn’t know how close that was, however. In a report from Automobilwoche, it looks like the death of internal combustion engines at VW, is merely a generation away. CEO Thomas Schäfer explained that many of its ICE-engined models will go away (or shift to EV) at the end of their life cycles.
For Europe, the next generation Passat, and Tiguan will be the last ICE versions of those nameplates. Both are planned to launch this year, with a Chinese market compact crossover coming in 2024, and the Europe-only T-Roc crossover in 2025. Schäfer says the T-Roc will be VW’s last new combustion engine, and that all of these models will be available well into the 2030s. The Golf itself will continue to soldier along with updates until it makes the jump to full EV sometime in 2028.
Although the EU wants to completely bar the sale of new ICE vehicles soon, that idea is facing increasingly larger pushback. Some manufacturers have found odd loopholes and have been very critical of the plan, like how Stellantis has insisted that the planet doesn’t have the ability to scale up to meet demand. Whether VW sticks to its plan, remains to be seen. Schäfer did say that if things were to change in Europe, the brand could pivot to producing ICEs again, but he doesn’t think that things are likely to change anytime soon.
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Kevin has been obsessed with cars ever since he could talk. He even learned to read partially by learning and reading the makes and models on the back of cars, only fueling his obsession. Today, he is an automotive journalist and member of the Automotive Press Association. He is well-versed in electrification, hybrid cars, and vehicle maintenance.
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