Audi maps out shift to electric: Only EVs launched from 2026, no gasoline models by 2033

Audi on Tuesday mapped out plans to go all-electric in just over a decade, including launching only electric cars starting in 2026, and ending production of gasoline engines by 2033.

The exact timing of gasoline’s discontinuance will depend on customer response and legislation, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said at the recent Climate Neutrality Foundation conference in Berlin, adding that the automaker expects to have 20 all-electric models in its global lineup by 2025.

While some automakers have indicated they will soon stop developing gasoline and diesel powertrains, Audi will continue to invest in internal-combustion engine development even as it prepares for an all-electric future. Duesmann said Audi’s last combustion engine “will be the best we’ve ever built.”

Audi A6 E-Tron Concept – 2021 Shanghai auto show

The automaker kicked off its shift to EVs with the E-Tron crossover SUV, which was soon followed by a Sportback version. The E-Tron GT sedan and smaller Q4 E-Tron crossover will also launch later this year.

Audi also previously hinted that an all-electric transition is around the corner by naming the A6 E-Tron concept after an existing gasoline model, and a long-running one at that. After nearly three decades in production, the A6 sedan is one of Audi’s most recognizable models, although it has been marginalized somewhat by the market shift from sedans to to SUVs. 

The brand has also been putting a lot of effort into making vehicle production carbon-neutral. That will be an important consideration if Audi can pull off the shift to all-electric, as once tailpipe emissions have been eliminated, emissions from production become a larger portion of a vehicle’s overall carbon footprint. Audi aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2050.