Porsche is having a hard time giving up internal combustion engines due to the wishes of its customers. Buyers of the premium brand want to continue buying cars with gasoline engines. By the end of the decade, the brand expects electric cars to make up about 80 percent of its total sales.
However, the company said that the implementation of the ambitious plan will depend on the reaction of customers. Porsche CFO Lutz Meschke admits that the transition to electricity is much more difficult than expected.
The top manager said that the situation in China, as well as in the European and American markets, remains quite difficult for premium brands that have decided to switch to electric traction. Luxury car buyers are increasingly opting for traditional internal combustion engines.
In this regard, Porsche has decided to refresh the line of its gasoline and hybrid models. The brand's engineers will be able to modernize both the existing internal combustion engines and continue the gradual electrification.
As part of this approach, the company may develop versions of internal combustion engines for some electric vehicles. For example, the Cayenne and Panamera models will continue to be produced with traditional engines, which will be side by side with all-battery modifications.
At the same time, the brand's range will include exclusively electric models, which will confirm its focus on electrification. Among these cars will be the Macan, Cayman and Boxster, whose versions with internal combustion engines have already been discontinued due to European regulatory requirements.
At the end of July, Audi decided to make the transition to electric power easier for its customers by expanding its hybrid range. At the same time, the brand plans to completely abandon internal combustion engines by 2033, but whether this will happen remains to be seen.