Porsche is Officially Ditching Diesel
Porsche will quit offering diesel powertrains for its cars and light trucks, effectively adding another nail to the fuel’s coffin. Following Volkswagen Group’s emission’s fiasco in the United States, which included Porsche, Europe has become increasingly critical of diesel-engined vehicles. Citywide bans have have been proposed throughout the region and, as of February, Porsche suspended diesel sales due to an ongoing German probe into VW Group’s diesel engines.
That investigation found that the Cayenne EU5 model’s 8-cylinder diesel was in violation of the established rules, affecting 13,500 units, according to Bild am Sonntag. Porsche then recalled nearly 60,000 Cayenne and Macan diesels in May as it launched its own investigation.
“Porsche is not demonizing diesel. It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology,” Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume said in a statement. “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.”
The brand has said that its hybrid vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, accounting for roughly 63 percent of new buyers for the four-door Panamera coupe in Europe. Meanwhile the Taycan model is due for launch next year, which is Porsche’s first fully-electric sports car based on the Mission E concept.
Porsche is putting more than 6 billion euros ($7.1 billion) into “electric mobility” by 2022 to keep itself on the cutting edge as demand for diesel continues to plummet globally. The automaker claimed that only 12 percent of its global sales could be attributed to diesels last year.
“We have never developed and produced diesel engines ourselves. Still, Porsche’s image has suffered. The diesel crisis has caused us a lot of trouble,” Blume said in an interview with Bild.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer have scheduled a meeting with the German auto industry’s top brass in Berlin for Sunday. Its goal revolves around deciding how the region can best meet air quality standards in cities. Recent court rulings in Germany have suggested that older diesel cars should be banned from densely populated areas to minimize pollution. However, outright diesel prohibition has also been proposed — resulting in apprehension for both car buyer and builder, alike.
[Image: Porsche]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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A diesel in a Porsche is like tits on a male distance runner, like, uhm Bruce Jenner. Pointless.
> Its time for diesel to go away. All of these save the planet measures will eventually be defeated by the overriding force called human nature. This planet is living on borrowed time. Not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.