Electric vehicles are getting increasingly cheaper, they have longer range and charges faster, but it would seem that many markets still aren't ready to truly leave the petrol-powered car behind. This is proven through some shaky EV sales in some markets, though this isn't reflected in all manufacturers sales. This uncertainty has however seemingly convinced Audi CEO Gernot Döllner, that petrol-powered cars "have a future".
At a recent media event (through Car and Driver) Döllner said the following:
"The drivetrain concepts will definitely swing back to [internal combustion]. That's what we see right now, and I don't know if battery-electric will come back that fast. Markets are so dynamic, and every market has its specialty," he said. "So the U.S. has these rugged SUV and pickup segments, quite ICE-heavy consumer landscape. China is ahead on battery electric, but has a backswing to extended-range (EREV) and even plug-in hybrid. There are a lot of dynamics, so it isn't too easy to tell where the road is heading."
Audi recently pulled back from a promise to be all electric by 2033, and admitted at the time that the US market plays a big part in that particular decision. However it seems that they will maintain a steady pace on EV development, but also focus on hybrids and regular petrol-powered models:
"I don't see necessarily new platforms. But I see further development of platforms to bring the next level of electronics and bring some degree of more hybridization."