New Porsche boss Oliver Blume has told a German newspaper that the company has no plans for autonomous vehicles, but does plan on having a hybrid model across every part of the range.
Blume (below) confirmed to the Westfalen-Blatt that a plug-in hybrid 911 will arrive in 2018 with a 50km (31 mile) electric range, and the Mission E electric sedan revealed at IAA 2015 in Frankfurt, Germany, will follow in 2019.
Blume spoke strongly against autonomous technology being used in the company’s models, however, saying “you want to be able to drive a Porsche yourself”.
Blume also said that the company wasn’t technology-averse, as long as it fitted in with the brand image: “If it’s got Porsche on it, it needs to be Porsche inside. Above all, it comes down to the right combination of ease-of-use and new technology, but for us an iPhone belongs in the pocket, not on the street.”
The Porsche chief executive said that the upcoming production version of the Mission E electric sports sedan would be an “emphatic statement about the future of the brand. We want to blend traditional sports car genes from our decades of experience with fresh ideas and bold ways of thinking.” Blume said that the German OEM is investing over a billion euros in the new car, including €700m (US$761m) on upgrading its Zuffenhausen headquarters to build the new electric powertrain.
February 2, 2016