Having read the handwriting on the wall, Volkswagen has announced a blip in its all-electric future.
The German automaker had previously announced it planned for carbon neutrality by 2050, almost 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in major markets by 2040, all-electric auto sales in Europe by 2035 and more than 50% EV sales in the United States by 2030.
Last week, VW said its Scout line of SUVs and pickup trucks, which will be made at an assembly plant being built in South Carolina, will be a gasoline-electric hybrid instead of pure electric vehicles.
The comments from Scott Keogh, Scout’s chief executive officer and former president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, could not have been more telling.
The same man who in 2019 called EVs “the future of mobility here in the U.S.” said, “The market clearly has spoken, without a doubt, and they like the EREV technology full stop. This is EV without the drama.”