It’s been a busy week for Porsche. In addition to announcing plans to develop a new gasoline SUV to replace the Macan, the company also expressed its long-term commitment to ICEs. CEO Oliver Blume revealed during the Annual Press Conference that the Cayenne and Panamera will retain gas power “far into the 2030s.” Zuffenhausen says the development of both models will continue.
While the Panamera recently switched to the next-generation model, the Cayenne has been around in its current form since 2017. Granted, the posh SUV – also in its third iteration – received a comprehensive facelift in 2023. Don’t worry about downsizing because Porsche has already said the Cayenne will keep its V-8 engine past 2030. It should be the same story for the Panamera, with both likely keeping the V-6 for the lesser versions. Plug-in hybrids are here to stay and will offer a longer electric range.
Why is Porsche betting on ICE once again? Long story short, it has realized the previously announced lofty EV goals are unfeasible. During the press conference, Porsche’s head honcho admitted that the objective of having electric vehicles account for 80 percent of annual sales by the end of the decade is now “unrealistic.” In 2024, only 12.7 percent of the cars it delivered had no combustion engine.
If approved, the new SUV we mentioned earlier will launch closer to 2030, which means Porsche will have four gasoline models on sale in the next decade, including the 911. Further investments in the ICE portfolio will not hamper the rollout of new EVs. The fourth-generation, electric-only Cayenne debuts late this year. It’ll be followed shortly by the 718 Boxster/Cayman EVs. A large, three-row SUV with electric drivetrains is also coming this decade.
Porsche has been saying for years that the 911 will be its last car to offer combustion engines, so its future is safe. It hopes that synthetic fuels will keep the iconic sports car alive. It has taken matters into its own hands by starting to make eFuel at its Punta Arenas plant in Chile, where it filled the first 911 on nearly carbon-neutral fuel in late 2022. The eFuel is made from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy.
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