As more automakers back away from their own radical electrification commitments, Porsche appears ready to stick with it.
According to German media Automobilwoche, in order to comply with EU regulations, Porsche had to stop production of several fuel models.
Porsche executive board member Albrecht Reimold confirmed that the fuel version of the Macan will be discontinued after 2026. The fuel models of the 718 Boxster and Cayman will be discontinued in 2025, and they will all be replaced by their own electrified versions.
Porsche 718 production has been halted in Europe after it failed to comply with the "cybersecurity regulations" set out by WP.29 (UNECE World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations).
Specifically, the 718 does not meet the EU's mandatory "advanced driver assistance system" regulations, nor does it have the active driver monitoring system required by the regulations. The Macan is in a similar situation.
But there are no similar regulations in markets outside the EU, so Porsche can still sell these models in other regions - and in fact it does so.
In order to quickly catch up with the electrification schedule, Porsche gave up the technical improvements of the fuel versions of these models and turned directly to developing their electric versions. After all, no matter how much improvement is made on the fuel car, it is almost impossible to meet the EU emission standards.
Albrecht Reimold believes that Porsche is accelerating its electrification process not only to meet regulatory requirements, but also to meet market demand, because today's cars are increasingly transforming towards digitalization and intelligence, and although some car companies are promoting "oil and electricity are equally intelligent", it is easier to achieve intelligence with a pure electric platform.
Between EU regulations, European elections and market demand, it is difficult for automakers to remain unshakable. However, the demand for pure electric vehicles in Europe is slowing down, while the market for plug-in hybrid vehicles is expanding; the Japanese market has always favored more practical oil-electric hybrids; and the United States is also in a stalemate period of market demand swings and "politicization of electric vehicles."
But even in this case, Porsche's choice is to fully turn to electrification. For example, the electric Macan has received nearly 10,000 orders. In Reimold's view, it takes a lot of courage to make the main model Macan purely electrified.
Looking at the first half of 2024, Porsche's sales in both its two major markets, China and the United States, have declined.
Public data shows that Porsche's global deliveries fell 7% year-on-year to 155,945 vehicles in the first half of this year. In the Chinese market, Porsche's sales in the first half of the year were 29,551 vehicles, down 33% from 43,832 vehicles in the same period last year.
China's smart electric vehicles are attracting attention away from traditional luxury brands that are good at making fuel vehicles. The launch of more "green-plate" Porsches as soon as possible may attract consumers in China's big cities, where license plate resources are scarce and they are more likely to buy Porsches, to pay attention to this brand again.
