Despite all the electric euphoria, conventional combustion engines such as the Golf, Passat and Tiguan are currently making money at VW. The Wolfsburg-based company wants to expand its model range even further and is developing a drive system that has previously been disdained. But then electricity also flows.
The future of Volkswagen is electric. CEO Herbert Diess announced this strategy six years ago. Previously, he initiated the development of the MEB architecture, on which all ID models are based today. His successor Oliver Blume is also sticking to this direction and wants to bring eleven more battery-powered cars (BEVs) onto the road by 2027 alone, the majority of them in Europe. However, the conventional combustion engine and electrified MQB models are currently bringing the money into VW’s coffers . This is likely to remain the case in the coming years. The Wolfsburg brand’s electric vehicles only account for 12.5 percent in Europe and, despite an upward trend, are below sales expectations. After all, they help a lot to compensate for the CO2 emissions of combustion engines and to meet the Brussels requirements. Plug-in hybrids with top ranges in the range VW recently presented the new generations of Tiguan and Passat. Their drives include petrol, diesel and petrol plug-in hybrids, the latter with ranges of over 100 kilometers. The long-running Golf, now in its eighth generation, has received a product upgrade. Another could follow as early as 2026. The plan is to introduce a newly developed full hybrid (based on the Toyota principle), which the former boss Winterkorn always disdained. The next T-Roc will also get the full hybrid (HEV) around a year after its new launch (2025). VW’s best-selling SUV in Europe in 2023 is entering its second generation, is based on the further developed MQB evo platform and will have its drives similar to the Golf. The T-Roc Cabrio, however, will not have a successor. However, VW will allow the last open car in its 75-year convertible history to continue running until around 2027. Eternal model cycles? The T-Cross and its CUV offshoot Tairo are a class lower. With a seven-year model cycle, a new T-Cross would actually be available in 2026. But VW is letting the existing model continue here too. The Wolfsburg strategists are extending the life cycle of the polo even further. Its successor generation would be cyclically even this year. But now it’s time to continue producing, probably for several years. Euro 7 adjustments are necessary on the drive side. Manual switch versions will disappear and the DSG direct shift transmission will become standard equipment. We hear that the small one-liter turbo three-cylinder does not require mild hybrid electrification for Euro 7, which keeps the costs within reasonable limits. Volkswagen will stick with the Touran, even though it has been on the market since 2015. The compact van has its loyal fan base. The Arteon is heading towards its imminent end. Since last year there has only been the Shooting Brake. Its production is expected to end in 2026 without a successor. The Touareg, which only recently received a product upgrade (PA), will have to hold out a little longer. The flagship SUV is likely to be replaced at the end of the decade by a fully electric innovation, for which the name ID.8 X was once considered. But VW is working on a new nomenclature in which iconic names such as Golf, Tiguan, Passat and probably Touran and Touareg are to be adopted into the electric age. New combustion engine series is being planned In the combustion engine world, VW is not only updating existing models and planning for production extensions Portfolio is even being refreshed with a new model, the Tayron. The five- or, as an option, seven-seat SUV will replace the Tiguan Allspace at the beginning of 2025. The Tayron is scheduled to have its world premiere in October. VW promises that the design of the Tayron will not be another extended version of the Tiguan, but will come with a completely different sheet metal body. Only the cockpit is identical. Customers have to swallow a toad when it comes to the drive. If you choose the third row of seats, you cannot drive the Tayron as a plug-in hybrid. There is no space for the battery under the seats. (Michael Specht/SPX)
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