Merkel: Piston Engines Will Be Phased Out

German Chancellor Angela Merkel tells the weekly Super Illu that Europe’s trend toward eliminating both gasoline and piston engines years from now is correct.

She didn’t say whether Germany would follow France and the U.K. in declaring the end of piston engines by 2040. But he did agree “the approach is the right one.”

Tightening air quality targets are forcing carmakers to add hybrid and all-electric cars to their lineups. But regulators have said that meeting those goals will require little short of a complete ban on new fossil fuel-powered vehicles.