Porsche Eases Off the Accelerator with its EV Plans

The Porsche Cayenne and Panamera will retain their internal combustion engines (ICE) into the next decade, and the new SUV the brand has been working on will no longer be all electric, the automaker recently announced in contradiction of its earlier plans. In addition, the automaker has announced that the development of some electric vehicles (EVs) has been delayed.

In order to last into the 2030s, Porsche says that the next generation of the Cayenne and the Panamera will be developed to feature internal combustion and plug-in hybrid powertrains, a departure from earlier plans, which had both models going all-electric.

Similarly, the new, as yet unnamed SUV that will slot in above the Cayenne in Porsche’s model range was initially supposed to only be available with all-electric powertrains. However, the automaker has now decided to initially offer internal combustion and plug-in hybrid power units, and to add the EV powertrain later.

Not only will internal combustion engines stick around for longer than expected, Porsche is planning to push back development of its upcoming EV platform. The unit was initially set to arrive in the early 2030s. Porsche has not revealed when it expects the platform to enter into production.

However, the automaker did reveal that the platform will now be developed in collaboration with other brands within the Volkswagen Group, a move it said has been made in response to the slower than expected growth of the EV market.

Dr. Oliver Blume, the top executive at both Porsche and the wider Volkswagen Group, attributed the new, less electric direction to “massive changes within the automotive environment.”

Porsche said that it will, however, continue to work on its existing EVs, the Taycan, Macan, and the Cayenne, and that it is still working on its new, two-door electric sports car that will fit into the 718 segment.