Porsche had its Annual General MeetingĀ 2023 event this week to talk about how it fared last year when deliveries rose by 2.6 percent to 309,884 cars. We won’t bore you with all the financial numbers, but we should point out that the Zuffenhausen-brand is extremely serious about going purely electric. While it obviously won’t happen overnight, the German luxury brand has set a target of 80+ percent of sales to be battery-powered EVs by 2030.
During the event, Porsche CEO and Volkswagen Group chairman Oliver Blume talked about how the company intends to reach its goal. The first zero-emission model to join the Taycan will be the next-generation, electric-only Macan scheduled to go on sale in 2024. As you may recall, the crossover was supposed to hit the market this year but has been pushed back due to software issues.
The 718 Boxster/Cayman lineup will embrace its EV side “in the middle of the decade,” so expect to see it at some point in 2025. Oliver Blume said the next-generation, electric-only Cayenne will “follow immediately,” which likely means it’s scheduled to go on sale in 2026. Much like the conventionally powered model on sale today, the posh SUV in electric guise is going to be assembled in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Positioned above the Cayenne will be a large electric SUV that doesn’t have a name yet. Porsche’s head honcho mentioned the new member of the family will mainly target China and the United States along with other profitable markets. He referred to the model as representing a “new vehicle concept” delivering “impressive performance” and a “new interior experience.” Blume also promised the vehicle will incorporate advanced automated driving functions.
Codenamed K1, the high-end EV is reportedly going to offer three-row seating and will have an exterior design completely different compared to past models. Sources close to Porsche have said it’ll be “part sedan, part crossover” and stretch beyond five meters (196.8 inches). Rumor has it the model has been in the works since 2020 and will be underpinned by the future SSP Sport platform, a derivative of the Volkswagen Group’s future Scalable Systems Platform.
Although Blume spoke extensively about Porsche’s lofty electric ambitions, the 911 wasn’t mentioned at all. That’s because the iconic sports car will not get an EV version this decade, although a hybrid is coming before 2030. Several company officials have said on multiple occasions the plan is to keep selling the 911 with combustion engines for as long as possible. With Porsche investing in the development and manufacturing of synthetic fuels, the rear-engined machine might get a new lease on life.
Read the full article here