With the declining popularity of diesel in some markets and a shift in customer preference towards new hybrid and electric technology, Porsche has announced it is intensifying its activities in the areas of hybrid technology and electromobility and officially dropping diesel power from its line-up.
Porsche will have invested more than six billion euros in e-mobility by the time 2022 rolls around. This is on the back of increasing preference for hybrid models, for example, 63 per cent of Panameras sold in Europe are hybrid vehicles.
In contrast to this diesel models are dropping in popularity. In 2017 only 12 per cent of Porche sales worldwide were diesel cars. Porches haven’t had a diesel in their portfolio since February 2018.
Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG said: “Porsche is not demonising diesel. It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology. We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free. Naturally, we will continue to look after our existing diesel customers with the professionalism they expect.”
2019 will see the first purely electric sports car from Porsche, the Taycan, hit the market. Not only is the vehicle electric but Porsche is also claiming the manufacture of the vehicle is CO2 neutral and green electricity is used for ultra-fast charging in European infrastructure.
By 2025 every second new Porsche could come with either a hybrid or pure electric drive, with a focus also on optimizing internal combustion engines, for the purists.
Blume added, “Our aim is to occupy the technological vanguard – we are intensifying our focus on the core of our brand while consistently aligning our company with the mobility of the future.”
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