Porsche Is The Latest Manufacturer To Row Back On EV Targets

The company originally aimed for 80 per cent of its sales to be electric by 2030, but it’s now revised these targets

24 Jul 2024

Well, this is all starting to get a bit Groundhog Day. Yet another major car company has eased off on its ambitions to sell either mostly or only electric cars by the end of the decade. This time, it’s Porsche.

The company said in 2022 that it planned for 80 per cent of its global sales in 2030 to be fully electric vehicles, but it’s told Reuters in a statement that this is no longer the case, with weakening demand once again cited as the reason: “The transition to electric cars is taking longer than we thought five years ago.”

The company maintains that its long-term plan is still geared towards meeting this target, but that ultimately customer demand and technology development will be the deciding factor as to whether it meets it.

“Our product strategy is set up such that we could deliver over 80 per cent of our vehicles as all electric in 2030 – dependent on customer demand and the development of electromobility.”

Hybrids will likely play a greater short-term role for Porsche

The company currently sells two electric cars, the Taycan and second-generation Macan. They’ll soon be joined by an electric 718 replacement and a three-row electric SUV, codenamed ‘K1’ and currently undergoing testing.

This announcement doesn’t look set to impact the development of those cars, with the company confirming just a few weeks ago that the current petrol 718 Cayman and Boxster would make way for their electric replacement in 2025. The 911 is the only model it’s previously envisioned with a long-term internal combustion future.

The 911 has recently received a hybrid powertrain

The company did, however, say that its “double strategy” – the ongoing development of both electric and combustion-powered cars – was more important than ever as the electric transition takes longer than expected. It joins fellow VW Group brands Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley, as well as the likes of Mercedes, Cadillac and Ford, in slackening its original EV targets in recent months.

The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.