Porsche expects it won’t have any trouble meeting the EU’s next round of CO2 emissions reduction targets because more than half of its sales by 2025 will come from electrified vehicles.
The European Commission has proposed a 30 percent reduction in fleet CO2 emissions from new cars by 2030 – equating to less than 67 grams per km when expressed under the outgoing NEDC testing cycle. Half of that must be achieved by 2025 as an interim milestone to guarantee progress.
“Technically we certainly won’t struggle with that [target],” said Porsche development chief Michael Steiner, when asked about the new emission cap.
Porsche is taking a much different stance from the rest of its German peers. The lobby organization VDA has called into doubt whether the targets were even reachable, saying it was “more than questionable from today’s perspective.”
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Steiner was more concerned that politicians might regulate combustion engine cars out of existence, as some lawmakers have proposed. Steiner wants Porsche’s lineup to be so attractive that owners will flock to its electrified models, while still allowing purists the chance to buy conventionally powered Porsches.
“Customers should be the ones to decide,” he said, adding the result of the emissions targets should not be to favor one technology over another. “The attractiveness [of Porsche’s electrified lineup] should lead to a powertrain mix that ensures we are compliant,” he explained.
So far Porsche is confident that customers are slowly starting to migrate towards its more eco-friendly range. The ongoing discussion about diesel city bans is encouraging buyers to switch and go straight to an electrified vehicle to ensure access years from now. Roughly two thirds of all Panameras sold in Europe come with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Porsche plans to add at least one additional battery electric model by 2025 in addition to its upcoming Mission E to help achieve its target of selling more than half of its cars with an electrified drivetrain.
As part of its electrified future, Porsche will start sales of the 600-hp Mission E electric sedan in Europe in 2019 and in late 2019 or early 2020. An electric Macan “could be a possibility for us,” Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer told Automotive News earlier this year.
Source-AutoNews
