Despite newly passed CAFE regulations, Porsche says the standards will not force it to change its brand image or vehicle lineup. The German automaker is widely regarded as one of the world’s best sports car makers, a reputation it plans to keep even with impending fuel-economy regulations.
“We will make our cars more fuel efficient, but we will not change our nature,” Detlev von Platen, CEO of Porsche Cars North America, told Automotive News. “Our customers expect a certain characteristic to our cars.”
Instead of relying on smaller, less powerful engines, Porsche will focus on reducing the weight of its vehicles and will also begin to utilize hybrid technologies. Von Platen confirmed that a hybrid version of the Cayenne is head to the U.S. in late 2010 and the German automaker will also offer a hybrid version of the upcoming Panamera four-door coupe.
However, despite the recent trend for European automakers to introduce diesel-powered models in the U.S., don’t expect Porsche to follow suit. “We thought about diesel, but it does not make sense, especially since the United States is 39 percent of Porsche’s market, and we do not see any potential for it,” von Platen said.
Proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Association regulations call for Porsche to raise its corporate average fuel economy to 41.3 mpg by 2015 — up from its current level of 26 mpg. Moreover, the proposed regulations would require the 911 to exceed the fuel economy of a Toyota Camry , due to the size of the sports car’s footprint, according to Automotive News.
It’s hard to imagine a Porsche 911 posting better fuel economy numbers than the Toyota Camry, so we probably haven’t heard the last from Porsche in the fuel economy debate.
