Porsche may ditch diesel engines: CEO Oliver Blume

Porsche will decide at the end of the decade whether its latest generation of diesel engines will be its last, Chief Executive Oliver (CEO) Blume told Reuters, the first time a German carmaker has said in public it could discontinue diesel. 

Volkswagen’s cheating on diesel emissions tests has cast a shadow over its Porsche division and the sports car brand, which first introduced diesel in its Cayenne sports utility vehicle (SUV) in 2009, is considering its options. 

“Of course we are looking into this issue,” CEO Blume said in an interview in Germany. “We have not made a decision on it.” Blume said Porsche would offer a mix of combustion engines, plug-in hybrid vehicles and purely battery-powered cars over the next 10-15 years and would decide at the end of the decade whether diesel had a future at Porsche. 

German prosecutors last month started investigating Porsche staff to see whether they were involved in designing illicit engine-control software and regulators are examining whether the Cayenne was fitted with such a device. 

A redesign of the Cayenne will be launched in September and it will still offer a diesel version, Blume said, just like the Panamera saloon that hit dealerships last November.