No Change To Volkswagen’s Diesel Strategy In Australia Despite Hybrids Ready

Plans like these are all well and good, but there’s no guarantee Volkswagen will have the money to develop any electric cars.

A few analysts said a strategy more focused on electric vehicles and hybrids could eventually help sow the seeds of recovery for Volkswagen.

Dr. Herbert Diess, the CEO for Volkswagen passenger cars, announced big changes to future product plans that centre around a “reorientation of the diesel strategy”.

Earlier, the governor of Germany’s Lower Saxony state, which holds a 20 percent stake in Volkswagen, said the automaker should have admitted earlier that it manipulated emissions data in the U.S. Volkswagen acknowledged the deception to US regulators on September 3, more than a year after researchers published a study showing the real-world emissions of two VW models were far higher than allowed.

In response to the diesel emissions crisis, the VW board has announced a radical shift in its approach to diesel engines, at least for the USA and Europe.

Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed though when the new Phaeton will be unveiled and when it will hit the road. Now there’s a new one around the corner, with Volkswagen confirming today that the next Phaeton flagship will be electric.

No official confirmation was given as to whether Volkswagen diesel models bound for other markets would receive the same emission reducing technology, although officials suggest it will become standard on those sold in Australia.

Diess said: “The Volkswagen brand is repositioning itself for what’s to come”.

The plan also puts a focus on further development of the Modular Transverse Toolkit (MQB) platform used across the group, with greater emphasis on plug-in hybrids with a greater range as well as mass-market electric vehicles with a radius of up to 300km (186 miles), a 48V mild hybrid and efficient diesel, petrol and CNG concepts.

Although, adopting the new emissions technology will address coming models, VW intends to steer clear from diesel technology and pour more of its resources behind electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the near future.

The standardized system will serve as the basis for models with an all-electric range of 250-500 km, it said. The specification features a pure electric drive with long-distance capability, connectivity and next-generation assistance systems as well as an emotional design.

“We are very aware that we can only implement these innovations for the future of the Volkswagen brand effectively if we succeed with our efficiency program and in giving our product range a new focus”.