WOLFSBURG, Germany - Volkswagen on Tuesday said battery electric vehicles were expected to account for half of global vehicle sales by 2030, as Europe's largest carmaker prepares to phase out combustion engine cars.

The target is part of Volkswagen's 2030 strategy, which the group unveiled ahead of a huge package of climate policies Brussels plans to unveil on Wednesday, possibly including a de facto ban of petrol based vehicles from 2035.

At Volkswagen, battery electric vehicles accounted for just 3% of global sales last year.

  - Reuters