Volkswagen has made no secret that its comeback strategy in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal involves a wide range of electric vehicles. But the Volkswagen Group CEO has now revealed that he still sees the diesel engine as “indispensable”.
According to Autocar, Matthias Müller said at the automaker’s recent annual general meeting that diesel would “remain indispensable for the foreseeable future”.
“This applies also and especially to the Euro 6 diesel, despite the current heated debate,” Müller said, according to the British publication.
“The internal combustion engine is primarily part of the solution, not part of the problem. One hundred and twenty-four years after it was invented, the diesel engine still has plenty of potential, and we intend to exploit that potential,” he added.
Despite insisting that the “future is electric”, Müller suggested that there were still efficiency gains to be made with both diesel and petrol engines.
“By 2020, we will have made our internal combustion engines between 10 and 15% more efficient, and therefore also cleaner. This will help protect the environment and conserve resources.”
