Porsche is not going to abandon electric vehicles, but it is also in no hurry to switch entirely to batteries, Motor1 writes. The company's new head, Michael Leiters, said the brand will develop petrol and electric models simultaneously. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

At the same time, there is one car for Porsche that does not fit this strategy: the 911 will still not get a fully electric version.

The return of the petrol Macan

Porsche's most notable turn is the return of the petrol Macan. The company plans to release such a version in 2028, and it will be sold alongside the electric crossover.

Leiters believes customers should be offered a choice rather than forced to switch to electric vehicles. At the same time, Porsche wants to avoid a situation where developing petrol and electric versions of one model leads to double costs.

"We need to restore our petrol strategy," Leiters said.

Falling demand for the electric Macan

The return of the internal combustion engine comes amid declining demand for the electric Macan. In the first half of the year, its sales fell 40% year-on-year, while deliveries in China dropped 32%.

At the same time, the company is reviewing its own structure. Porsche has agreed to cut 9,000 jobs by 2035, and has also closed subsidiary areas related to electric bicycles, batteries and software.

In addition, Porsche received about €1 billion after selling stakes in Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group. According to Leiters, in difficult market conditions the company needs to review its business model and the scale of the organization.

The electric direction is not being fully rolled back

At the same time, Porsche is not going to fully roll back its electric direction.

The company continues developing the electric 718. Thus, Porsche is simultaneously preparing an electric sports car and returning a petrol engine to the Macan.

With the 911, however, the situation is fundamentally different. Leiters confirmed that there will be no fully electric version of the legendary sports car.

The modern 911 has already received a hybrid powertrain in the Carrera GTS version, but Porsche is abandoning a fully electric drive. A plug-in hybrid for the model is also not planned – the company believes the 911 should not become larger in order to accommodate additional equipment.

The essence of the strategy

As a result, Porsche's strategy looks not like a rejection of electric vehicles, but rather like an attempt to stop choosing between electricity and petrol. Electric models will be given a place where it makes sense, and petrol ones – where customers are not yet ready to part with them.

Earlier, Kursiv Auto reported that the Porsche Cayenne Electric was tested on the asphalt and off-road of Cappadocia.