Volkswagen Won't Rule Out Diesel's Return to India, But Says "For Now No Plan"

Diesel isn't dead at Volkswagen — it's just currently not on India's roadmap. Thomas Schäfer, Member of the Group Board of Management, CEO Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand, addressed the possibility of a diesel comeback directly, following recent industry chatter about niche diesel offerings returning to the Indian market.

"We have diesel models globally," Schäfer said. "You know it's available." Pressed on the continued customer affection for VW's old diesel engines, he didn't hold back his own enthusiasm for the technology. "It's a fantastic technology," he said. "It really is. No. And we have been out of it for a while now."

But enthusiasm for the engine doesn't automatically translate into a product plan, he explained. "The question is in the market mix," Schäfer said. "Does it make sense to introduce a model? when does it make sense to introduce it?" He tied the decision to Volkswagen's broader need to prioritise investment across multiple drivetrain options for India. "You cannot invest in everything at the same time. But we have it globally. So there's an option to get it, but for now no plan."

Schäfer also clarified how such decisions get made within the Volkswagen Group structure. Asked whether a diesel call would need group-wide sign-off or could be made by the Volkswagen brand alone, he said: "No, they can be Volkswagen decisions definitely." He added that while the group collaborates on shared costs and technology platforms — "Volkswagen, Audi and so on... we can share expensive technology platform discussions that we do on group level" — ultimately "the brands need to play by themselves in the market where they operate."

The exchange leaves the door open, if only a crack, for diesel's eventual return to Volkswagen's India line-up — contingent on how the brand's broader drivetrain mix, including CNG, ethanol and electric options, shapes up over the coming months. For now, though, Schäfer's message was unambiguous: diesel remains available globally, but India isn't getting it yet.