A New Start for the Combustion Engine

Openness to technology and feasible concepts: The powertrain technology must be discussed anew. Because the combustion engine needs a fresh start, as the Engine Congress makes clear. 

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"The internal combustion engine has a future and we are shaping that future." With these words, Prof. Dr. Peter Gutzmer, Editor-in-Charge ATZ | MTZ Group, opened the 12^th International Engine Congress 2025 in Baden-Baden, which is being organized together with the VDI Wissensforum. According to Gutzmer, the Engine Congress is the last systematically thought internal combustion engine conference in the German-speaking world.

In this sense, Gutzmer makes it clear: "We need the combustion engine for climate-oriented mobility". The areas of energy and mobility must be more closely linked. Dogmatic, ideologically influenced legislation with a focus on electric mobility must be abandoned. The existing fleet, synthetic fuels and the combustion engine are equally important. Gutzmer therefore demands: "We have to become the leading market for the combustion engine and for synthetic fuels again". The industry must therefore also change course. It must be more strongly oriented towards market needs. The new constructive dialog between politics and industry, as started with the Auto-Dialog in Brussels at the end of January, is a positive sign.

Shaping the Transformation More Positively

"In the long term, the future will be electric. However, the transformation to get there can be improved", said Matthias Zink, CEO of the Powertrain & Chassis division of the Schaeffler Group and President of CLEPA European Association of Automotive Suppliers, in his keynote speech "Association, Transformation and Innovation: A Field of Tension Full of Potential?". To ensure that European industry remains competitive in the field of e-mobility, reliable framework conditions must be created, including a technology-neutral approach to reducing emissions. To be successful, the transformation requires a bold vision, a willingness to change, commitment and acceptance of global competition. The pursuit of optimization and innovation is essential to maintain a leading market position.

"We are phasing out the combustion engine, but we can't get e-mobility right", says Zink. In China, the focus is no longer just on BEVs; there is an increase in hybrids and plug-in hybrids. We are learning from China that the range extender makes sense, says Zink. It is therefore worth continuing to work on the combustion engine, even if the future will be electric in the long term. Like Gutzmer, he therefore also views the Brussels Auto Dialog, which is discussing the issue in a holistic way for the first time and is listening to the industry, in a positive light. 

Hybrids and a Future Open to New Technologies

For Michael Fleiss, CSO Chief Sales Officer at Horse Powertrain, the future is hybrid. In his keynote speech "What Powers the Global Mobility of Tomorrow?", Fleiss makes it clear: "We have a diverse future with diverse fuels and the combustion engine in all possible forms". These include different fuels (such as biofuels, e-fuels, green methanol) and hydrogen-powered concepts. The range extender is also gaining in importance worldwide. At Auto Shanghai 2025, Fleiss is anticipating a "Super Hybrid Concept" from Horse Powertrain.  

For Winfried Mack, Member of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg and economic policy spokesperson for the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament, it is clear that Europe must change. "We have to focus on the essentials, on what we are good at." This includes building good engines, said Mack in his keynote speech "Overtaking instead of being overtaken – innovation instead of bans". We have to "move away from planned economy and prohibitions towards freedom and innovation". Politics cannot dictate what the "better engine" is. According to Mack, "subsidy madness" has no future. The economy needs freedom; innovation needs freedom, hard work and good competitive conditions. "Implementing electric mobility with a crowbar will not work".

According to Mack, development times are also too long in Europe; inefficiencies must be avoided. "We can no longer afford a single shift in development", says Mack. Mack advocates becoming climate-neutral, but remaining an industrial country. The market decides on technology, a combination of technologies makes sense. Mack predicts that the combustion ban could be overturned, and that the threat of CO₂ penalties could lead to relief. Matthias Zink also expects statements on the penalties in view of the next auto dialog at the beginning of March. According to Zink, however, the big challenge is: What does the master plan look like for the future? That is what needs to be discussed.

Carbon-Neutral Road Traffic

The main topics of the 12^th International Engine Congress 2025, with over 300 conference participants from 20 different countries, are carbon-neutral combustion engines, CO₂ recycling as a key topic for reFuels, further development potential and sustainability of the combustion engine, hydrogen and other sustainable energy sources, and legal and technological differences in the markets.

The keynote speeches on the second day of the event will be given by Dr. Thomas Becker (BMW), Konstantin K. Kriegelsteiner (Isuzu Motors) and Dr. David Bothe (Frontier Economics). They will address how sustainability is acting as a technology driver for future drive systems, what mobility solutions in Asia might look like from a Japanese perspective and how the transport sector can be part of a greenhouse gas-neutral European energy system.

12^th International Engine Congress 2025

The 12th International Engine Congress 2025 organized by ATZlive and VDI Wissensforum is the meeting place for the powertrain and sustainable fuels community. The hybrid event will take place on February 25 and 26 in Baden-Baden or via live stream. The conference is based on three thematic pillars, namely the parallel sessions "passenger car engine technology", "commercial vehicle engine technology" and "sustainable fuels & energy".

This is a partly automated translation of this German article.