Porsche discontinues diesel, to focus on EVs and hybrids
German premium car manufacturer, Porsche has announced plans of exiting the diesel powertrain space completely. The company launched its first diesel offering in the form of the Cayenne SUV nine years ago as it was a booming segment back then. Further, Porsche introduced diesel versions of the Macan and the Panamera as well. However, all of that will end this year as Porsche retires all its diesel-powered vehicles.
When Porsche launched the third-gen Cayenne last year, there was no diesel version, which could have been as the first hint to this recent development. And now the company has stopped global production of the Macan S diesel and also the Panamera 4S diesel. It is said that the company has stopped global production of these diesel offerings and has no plans of making the 3.0-litre turbo diesel comply with the future emission standards. The official statement released by the company states that the Macan S diesel has been taken out of the production programme as the buyer demand moves towards petrol and hybrid versions. The company mentions that diesels account to 15 per cent of total sales globally. Talking specifically about the Panamera, the diesel accounts for 15 percent while that for gasoline is 35 per cent and 4 E-Hybrid is 50 percent.
Porsche has already spent over a billion dollars at its Stuttgart plant for electrification and hybrids. The company plans to launch the Mission E four-door electric saloon by 2019. In fact, Porsche is the first company that has been vocal about discontinuing its diesels in favour of gasoline and hybrids. Michael Steiner, Porsche's R&D board member, stated electric vehicles should account for a quarter of yearly Porsche sales in 2025.