Porsche Board Member Looks Towards Electric and Naturally Aspirated Future

By Adam Pockross - October 20, 2016

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The Paris Motor Show may have ended, but we’re still learning from it.

That’s thanks to an interview with Porsche executive board member, Michael Steiner, who Digital Trends caught up with at the show. It offers us an insider’s look into the company’s current direction. In case you haven’t been paying attention, that direction is towards the future, with a keen focus on electricity and hybridization.

“We are convinced that hybridization and electrification boost performance,” said Steiner. “We underlined that with the 918, it’s clear that it delivers outstanding performance. Regarding series-produced cars, we want to become one of the companies that drives the shift towards hybrids and plug-in hybrids.”

As proof, Steiner discusses the strides Porsche has made in those departments with the Panamera e-hybrid. Taking what they learned from earlier hybrids and plug-ins, the new all-wheel-drive Panamera has increased its range from some 30 kilometers to upwards of 50, without letting the enhanced battery eat up more trunk space. And the new electric motor puts out 30 more kilowatts of power.

All that electricity talk is sure to scare some long-time customers, but worry not, Porsche knows where they stand with the purists.

“We will stand at least on two legs,” said Steiner. “Naturally-aspirated engines will continue to play a role in the Porsche lineup. You’ll find them in track-focused cars. Turbocharged engines, on the other hand, will power the models that enthusiasts buy to drive on a daily basis.”

Seems like a sound stance to me. What about you?