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The final combustion-fuelled Volkswagen that will be delivered in Australia may well be a Tiguan, according to senior Australian product boss
Volkswagen believes it will sell its last combustion-powered vehicle in Australia by about 2032.
The prediction, which is understood to include petrol, diesel and hybrid-powered cars, means that Volkswagen Australia is preparing to be an electric-only brand in Australia by the early 2030s.
When asked whether VW was planning to sell any combustion-powered vehicles in Australia past 2030, Volkswagen Australia’s director of passenger vehicles Michal Szaniecki was candid.
“[2030] will be one of the last years, probably, that we will be offering internal combustion engines in Australia,” he said.
“2030, 2031, 2032 are the years that we may have just two or three models left in our internal combustion engine range.”
When quizzed on what Volkswagen Australia’s final combustion-powered model would be, Szaniecki predicted it would be a mainstream SUV – not an Amarok ute or a fire-breathing R performance car.
“It is a very intriguing question,” Szaniecki said. “I have no idea. Today, I would bet on our SUV range – T-Roc or Tiguan – would probably be one of the last ones to go.”
In the ten years that remain until the predicted end date of 2032, Volkswagen Australia plans to continue to sell a mixed range of vehicles in Australia.
At the time of writing in September 2022, the manufacturer sells only combustion-powered cars in the local market – but that is a situation that will quickly change.
In the second half of 2023, Volkswagen will release its ID4 and ID5 fully-electric midsize SUV line-up in Australia, and the ID3 electric hatchback has been confirmed to follow. The electric models will be close in price to their combustion siblings.
Passenger cars boss Szaniecki also confirmed to Chasing Cars that Volkswagen’s as-yet unconfirmed ID Aero electric sedan and station wagon range was under study for Australia.
The brand also plans to launch a range of plug-in hybrid cars in Australia that blend petrol engines with electric motors, equipped with batteries that allow 50-100km of pure-electric driving range.
Volkswagen’s local hybrid onslaught will commence with the Touareg R plug-in hybrid sports SUV, but will soon extend to other models – notably, PHEV versions of the Golf small car and Tiguan midsize SUV.
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