Volkswagen to End Hybrid Vehicle Production

General Motors is not the only auto manufacturer who is stopping production of their hybrid vehicles. Now Volkswagen is throwing in their towel on this hybrid model as well.

All over the world hybrids were a way for manufacturers to comply to fuel consumption and emissions standards but now these auto manufacturers are going all in on the electric model instead.

While GM plans to launch 20 fully electric vehicles world wide over the next four years, VW is dedicating billions to producting more battery powered models which include a small plug in SUV in the US market next year as well as the electric version of their minibus sometime around 2020.

On the flip side manufacturers such as Ford and Toyota are planning on expanding their hybrid offerings all the while building an EV lineup. In aggregate, auto companies are spending somewhere around $255 billion to develop over 200 new plug in vehicles through 2023 according to the Wall Street Journal.

No doubt EV is coming. It is just a matter of when and how much longer gasoline engines will be supported. Volkswagen has made some impressive records in the electric market with their VW IDR Nurburgring record which we covered on the blog

So what does this mean for the future of the enthusiast market? A change is coming for sure but as with the auto industry this is not the first time we saw changes which caused confusion or questions. Such as the death of the manual transmission which left many auto enthusiasts kicking their feet. But where did that lead us ultimately? Faster cars is one thing for sure. Did the community die? No, it just evolved.

As the market evolves once again, manufacturers in the aftermarket space are going to go back to what they do best….R&D.