HAMBURG (dpa-AFX) - In the debate about a Europe-wide phase-out of internal combustion engines, Audi boss Markus Duesmann has warned against a U-turn. "In the political discussion, we see the risk that the EU's clear decision to phase out internal combustion engines in 2035 will be called into question again," Duesmann told "Der Spiegel." "That carries the risk of a hanging game, and that would be fatal for the auto industry."

The Audi boss stressed the need for planning certainty for the auto industry and its multi-billion investments. In this way, Duesmann, as a car manager, is taking a different position from that of Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). Wissing wants to enforce that cars with conventional engines can still be registered after 2035 if they can be fueled with synthetic fuels, the so-called e-fuels.

The Audi boss, on the other hand, told "Der Spiegel." Synthetic fuels would not play a major role in the passenger car segment in the medium term. "Audi has made a clear decision: We are phasing out the internal combustion engine in 2033 because the battery-electric vehicle is the most efficient method for individual mobility." E-fuels, he said, are significantly more inefficient to produce, thus considerably more expensive, and in the long term they would only be considered for forms of mobility where energy cannot be stored in any other way: "Aircraft will have to rely on e-fuels, or the existing fleet, i.e. the passenger cars that are already on the road," Duesmann said./cho/DP/nas