Volkswagen on Monday said it will stop developing natural gas-fuelled cars as the German auto giant bets on electric engines in the battle to woo climate-conscious drivers.

The VW group sold just 110,000 cars powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) worldwide last year, not enough to justify further investment, VW's head of development Frank Welsch told the Handelsblatt financial daily.

Although production of existing models powered by the alternative energy won't be halted right away, "there will be no successors to these cars," Welsch said.

"It never really resonated with customers," he added.

The exit from CNG will allow VW to focus more strongly on zero-emissions electric vehicles, Welsch said, which the company expects to go mainstream in the coming years.

Like rival carmakers, Volkswagen is investing billions in e-cars as the auto industry shifts to cleaner engines to comply with tougher emissions regulations.

"If we are serious about the mobility shift and environmental targets, then we must focus on battery-powered electric engines. Everything else is a waste (of efforts)", Welsch told Handelsblatt.

The 12-brand VW group, which includes Porsche, Seat, Skoda and Audi, has set itself the goal of selling 32 million electric and hybrid vehicles by 2029.

mfp/jh

VOLKSWAGEN

Related Links
Car Technology at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

VW strikes 'dieselgate' compensation deal with German consumers
Frankfurt Am Main (AFP) Feb 28, 2020
German automaker Volkswagen said Friday it has struck a compensation deal with domestic consumer groups representing owners of cars caught up in its "dieselgate" emissions cheating scandal. "We and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV) have achieved a fair and verifiable settlement solution," VW board member Hiltrud Werner said. The 830 million-euro ($912 million) compensation deal fends off a first-of-its-kind collective lawsuit brought by 400,000 diesel car drivers. If app ... read more