Porsche had plans to make its lineup 80 percent electric by the end of the decade, with models like the Cayenne, Macan, and Panamera switching to EVs to account for that number. The remaining 20 percent was going to be the 911, which would be the last car to become an EV, but will have hybrid variants in the meantime.
However, it seems Porsche is rethinking its strategy since its customers aren’t embracing EVs as the brand thought they would. This decision may steer Porsche in a completely different direction from where it was originally headed when it first conceived the Taycan.
Porsche Plans To Offer More Combustion Engine Cars
Porsche is one of the most versatile brands in the automotive industry and while it may not be used to making swift changes, especially in its vehicle lineup and design, Porsche is quick to adapt. When the push for electrification came out, Porsche seemed all in and decided to build a brand-new platform to see how people would accept it before adapting to other models. The Taycan received great response and great sales initially, but the hype has died down and customers are demanding more combustion engine vehicles.
This is evident in the massive sales decline of Taycans especially in China, which is its biggest market, while the Cayman sports car saw a rise in demand. Taycans on the used market are also getting hammered as one-year-old vehicles with decent miles are approaching half their value while ICE cars are holding theirs. But Porsche is already planning to make changes, and it still involves electrification.
Porsche is planning to adapt combustion engines to its EV lineup, which means hybrid cars are the answer. A lot of money has been spent on the development of Porsche’s EV platform for the new 718, Cayman, and Macan EVs. Porsche can’t allow that to go to waste with the current decline in EV sales, so the solution is adapting that platform to accept a combustion engine. This was confirmed by Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke in the brand’s Q3 conference call earlier this month.
A lot of customers in the premium and luxury segment are looking in the direction of combustion-engined cars.
Porsche Will Also Develop New Combustion Engines
Porsche wasn’t oblivious to the fact that its customers wanted combustion engine vehicles. It has been working on the development of synthetic fuels that can allow cars like the iconic 911 to stay around for a very long time because Porsche knows no one wants an electric 911. Porsche’s CFO has also just said that new combustion engines will be developed in conjunction with the new hybrid vehicles.
Porsche will refresh its combustion engines during this phase but will also build new engines to satisfy the demand from customers and rely more on plug-in hybrids than full EVs. This seems to be the right call since hybrid cars offer the best of both worlds in terms of performance and economy.
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