Porsche believes in internal combustion engines again

Change of mind Porsche believes in internal combustion engines again

2025-02-20 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

When it came to electric cars, Porsche was previously considered the most energetic advocate in the premium segment. Now one hears quite different tones...

Back to the roots! Porsche is shifting back to internal combustion engines in light of the situation, as is now known. So perhaps there will soon be a roaring instead of humming Macan again. For industry insiders, this step is only too understandable. More about this here...(Image: Porsche) — Back to the roots! Porsche is shifting back to internal combustion engines in light of the situation, as is now known. So perhaps there will soon be a roaring instead of humming Macan again. For industry insiders, this step is only too understandable. More about this here...
(Image: Porsche)

Electric cars and Porsche seem to be mutually exclusive. Where it once roared and smelled of gasoline in the supposedly old combustion engine world, there was recently only a faint hum to be heard. The Zuffenhausen (Germany) company had set ambitious goals, aiming to bring 80 percent of sports and utility vehicles as electric models onto the road by 2023. However, demand is now slack, and there are problems with China, forcing Porsche to change its strategy. Looking towards 2024, Porsche expects additional burdens of up to 800 million euros. These are expected partly because new cars with combustion engines or plug-in hybrid drives are to be developed. Moreover, there should be investment in battery activities and restructuring of the organization.

Back to internal combustion is only logical

The return to combustion engines is a logical step for automotive expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer: "Porsche, like Mercedes or VW, relied on the words and assurances of politicians from Brussels and Berlin. And they were left stranded." The funding for electric cars was practically stopped overnight. Likewise, politicians tell the story of synthetic fuels and the eternal life of the combustion engine. However, according to industry insiders, this has converted customers' mindsets. That's why more combustion engines are needed again. In his view, Porsche not only needs the Macan back as a combustion engine, but also the other models. "The moral of the story: Car manufacturers are being driven from one bad investment to another. Porsche and everyone else have no choice but to reinvest in the further development of combustion engines," as Dudenhöffer explains.

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