VW CEO says combustion engine still needed for “transition period”

VW CEO Matthias Müller said the internal combustion engine “will continue to be needed in a transition period towards e-mobility”. Following talks with German environment minister Barbara Hendricks at his company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Müller said VW and the German government “basically agreed” on strategic decisions that needed to be taken to steer the country’s automotive industry towards future competitiveness. With respect to the allegations over VW and other major German carmakers forming a cartel to influence prices and agree on suppliers and technological standards, the company head said he hoped the national diesel summit on 2 August was going to be used as “a forum to talk with each other and not about each other.”

For background, read the CLEW factsheet The debate over an end to combustion engines in Germany and the CLEW article Reactions to allegations over German carmaker cartel.