Some automakers like Tesla are all-in on electric. Others, like Toyota, are best known for hybrids, the most famous one of all being the Prius – only the second ever mass-production hybrid to be sold in the US when it launched back in 2000. Many offer a mix of hybrid, gas and even diesel-powered products for shoppers to consider. After all, shoppers love choices, and that’s exactly why most automakers offer products that cover gas, diesel, hybrid, and even all-electric power.
- Base Trim Engine
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2L I4 Hybrid
- Base Trim Transmission
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CVT
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Front-Wheel Drive
Despite the growing buzz around electric vehicles, ICE engines won’t be put out of business by EVs any time soon, with multiple indicators pointing to years of continued use and innovation of gas-burning engines.
In this feature, we’re looking at current market conditions, trends, and technologies that all indicate the internal combustion engine isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
1
The Internal Combustion Engine Keeps Advancing
Developments in ICE engines are far from over, and in 2025, we’re seeing automakers build some of their best combustion engines yet. On the more affordable side, the Volkswagen Group has just updated its EA888 four-cylinder turbo engine to squeeze out more power and make less noise. Supporting upgrades to the driveline improve acceleration and fuel efficiency even further.
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2025 Volkswagen Golf R Specifications |
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|---|---|
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Engine |
2.0L turbo I4 (EA888) |
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Horsepower |
328 hp |
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Torque |
295 lb-ft |
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Transmission |
7-speed dual-clutch auto |
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0-60 mp |
4.6 seconds |
The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 recently came to market with the biggest factory-installed turbochargers ever fitted to a production car. Porsche has patented a new six-stroke engine cycle. Ferrari has patented an engine with pill-shaped cylinders. Year over year, automakers use the latest tech and practices to squeeze more power and better mileage out of their combustion engines. These tend to be incremental changes, though they’re evidence that customers find value in the latest ICE advances – many of which launch in high-end exotics and trickle down to affordable mainstream cars in subsequent years.
2
Engine Oil Keeps Advancing
Unlocking the latest advances in engine oil helps automakers to unlock the latest advances in combustion engines. That’s why engine oil is another major and often-overlooked area of development that comes into play as automakers try to squeeze more and more out of modern combustion engines. Working in stride with engine oil scientists, automotive engineers can optimize existing technologies within their engines, or add new ones, as the latest engine oil formulations arrive to allow it.
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Engine oil scientists and automotive engineers work in lock-step during the development and research phases of new engines and engine oils. As new engine oil specifications arrive, new testing procedures and engines are required for validation. There’s a tremendous amount of knowledge exchanged as carmakers and engine oil manufacturers work together to push combustion engines to new levels, and recent engine oil advances (as well as more to come) help automakers deliver even more from their latest combustion engine designs.
3
Electric Motors Are Giving New Life To Combustion Engines
Gas-electric hybrids are faster, smoother, smarter, and more efficient than ever. There are a multitude of ways a gas-electric hybrid can be configured, each with a combustion engine at its heart. Mild-hybrid tech used by automakers including Audi, Mazda and Ram provides a low-cost means of turning a conventional ICE engine into a hybrid engine, but without the added complexity of pricier systems. More complex ‘full’ hybrids integrate one or more electric motors within their drivelines to recapture energy, boost torque output, and enable moments of all-electric driving.
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The Most Reliable Hybrids On Sale Right Now
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The market is seeing an increasing number of extreme-performance cars from brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz adopting plug-in hybrid engines as owners become increasingly electric-curious. In the SUV scene, new e-axle tech allows models like the Dodge Hornet PHEV and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to drive their rear wheels solely via an electric motor, without the need for a transfer case and other hardware. Clever tech like this makes it easier for automakers to turn virtually any vehicle into an AWD-equipped hybrid with ease.
4
PHEVs Are Going Further Than Ever
As battery tech evolves, it’ll be possible to store more energy within a smaller physical space in a cheaper battery. Today, the PHEV models with the longest range go about 40-50 miles per charge, a major improvement from most of just a few years ago. Longer PHEV range means less use of fuel, though the PHEV shopper also wants the confidence and convenience of being able to power their trips solely on gasoline if they won’t have the chance to access a plug. As the range of PHEV models continues to grow, a wider demographic of drivers will be able to capitalize on the technology, which has an ICE engine at its core.
5
Range-Extended Models
As the market shifts towards more heavily electrified vehicles and the latest battery tech, a reversal of roles is possible between the gas and electric powerplants of vehicles that employ both. This secures the combustion engine’s future as a range extender for incoming models like the Scout Terra pickup, the Scout Traveler SUV, and the Volvo XC70.
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The Volvo XC70 Is Coming Back, But Not As A Wagon
The new XC70 is the first of its kind in Volvo’s global lineup.
In the Terra models, propulsion is all-electric, but a gas range-extender will be offered to shoppers who need to charge in remote locations. In the upcoming Volvo XC70, an efficient combustion engine works with a 125-mile all-electric range to give more drivers more opportunities to travel without tailpipe emissions. An early example of this use of a gas engine in an EV was the BMW i3, the brand’s first all-electric with a gasoline range extender that could kick in for a little additional range to get you to the next plug.
6
Synthetic Fuel
Research is ongoing in the world of synthetic fuels, with various automakers exploring the idea, and Porsche leading the charge in the world of motorsports. Work on synthetic fuels today may one day result in the mass production of fuels made from things like coal, biomass, carbon dioxide, and natural gas.
Related
Next Lamborghini Supercar Could Use Synthetic Fuel
The automaker is considering retain its ICEs in the next decade.
Porsche currently operates a synthetic fuel pilot plant in Chile. If synthetic fuel can be used by existing engines and stored and transported using existing infrastructure, it could one day help reduce the carbon footprint of countless drivers.
7
Some Automakers Are Rolling Back EV Plans
Recent changes in forces at play in the marketplace mean that various automakers have pulled back from ambitious electrification plans that included ditching nameplates and switching to an all-electric product portfolio. Remember: shoppers like choices and making their own decisions. As an automaker, that means having all of your eggs in one basket might lead to missing out on some of the action.
As the market continues to react to EVs, Honda and GM have broken off the relationship responsible for the joint EV venture that brought the new Prologue / Blazer to market, Mercedes-Benz will ditch its EQ brand, and Ford is losing the better part of $50,000 for every EV it sells, as reported by Jalopnik.
Sources: Jalopnik, Cadilac, Honda, GM, Porsche, Volvo, BMW, RAM, Castrol Wakefield, Jalopnik.
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