VW chief admits end of the road for petrol and diesel cars is in sight – Greenpeace reaction

German car giant is planning to launch the last generation of petrol and diesel cars in 2026

Share

Commenting on remarks by VW’s chief strategist that the German car giant is planning to launch the last generation of petrol and diesel cars in 2026 and predicts the last fossil fuel-powered car being sold in 2040, Greenpeace UK senior campaigner Rosie Rogers said:

“VW has just become the first major car maker to admit that the end of the combustion engine is in sight. They’re only words for now, but it’s a bit like Saudi Arabia predicting the end of the oil age. Just over a year ago, the car giant’s leadership was talking up diesel’s ‘great future’ – now they say the end of the road for both diesel and petrol is just over the horizon.

“But if Volkswagen is serious about doing its bit to tackle both our climate and air pollution emergencies, it needs to set a clear end-date before 2040 for its production of fossil fuel cars. We simply cannot wait nearly a quarter of a century to phase out the cars warming our climate and making our air toxic. People living in polluted cities and facing climate change-related disasters deserve better than that.”

ENDS

Contact: Greenpeace UK news team on 020 7865 8255 and press.uk@greenpeace.org

What's next?