Porsche has officially decided to kill off its diesel engines and will instead focus its energy on electrified vehicles. You’ll recall that BMW also recently made a similar announcement, since it too has decided to discontinue all its diesel-powered models after the 2018 model year.
Porsche’s decision to drop its diesel models isn’t too surprising since only 12 percent of its models sold in 2017 had a diesel engine under the hood, while demand for its hybrid models keeps increasing. In Europe, 63 percent of the Panameras sold are hybrid models.
“Porsche is not demonizing 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,” says Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG.
By 2022 Porsche will have invested more than six billion euros (seven billion dollars) in e-mobility. It also estimates that by 2025, every second new Porsche vehicle could have an electrified powertrain – either hybrid or purely electric.
Source: Porsche