Following the debut of the highly anticipated all-electric Porsche Macan SUV, Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke hinted at the possibility of a delay in Europe's plan to ban internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035 due to a slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) demand, as reported by Automotive News Europe.
Meschke mentioned during the Macan's launch event in Singapore that discussions about the end of the combustion engine are ongoing, and he believes the timeline for the ban could be extended. The report suggests that a deceleration in EV orders has prompted the European Union to reconsider its phase-out plan. Consumers have faced challenges such as a lack of "reliable" charging infrastructure and a reduction in EV incentives.
While the UK initially announced a ban on new ICE cars and vans by 2030, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently decided to postpone the ban by five years, setting a new start date of 2035. The UK also implemented regulations requiring at least 22% of manufacturers' sales in 2023 to be electric, with fines for automakers exceeding the quota. Luxury brands like Porsche, Meschke noted, may fare well without government subsidies, as their consumers in that market may not require incentives. However, Meschke acknowledged the potential for governments to reintroduce EV incentives if the current challenges persist.
“We have to see how steep the ramp-up curve is in coming years,” Meschke said. “If we have a situation like now, with certain reluctance to buy electric cars in Europe, then maybe the subsidies will come back.”
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE
While the European Union (EU) was progressing with its new initiative to ban new cars equipped with combustion engines last year, Germany advocated for an exception, specifically for vehicles utilizing e-fuels. Germany argued that e-fuels could be generated using renewable energy and carbon captured from the air. The EU reached an agreement, permitting the registration of new cars with combustion engines beyond 2035 if they exclusively utilize climate-neutral fuel. Porsche strongly supports this technology and is part of an investor group contributing $260 million to a startup focused on e-fuels in Chile, as reported.
Porsche's latest offering, the Macan EV, represents the second electric vehicle (EV) in the brand's lineup, following the successful Taycan. The Porsche Macan EV is priced starting at $78,800, while the Turbo variant begins at $105,300, along with a $1,650 delivery fee for orders in the United States. Deliveries are anticipated to commence in the latter half of the year.
Photo: Porsche Macan EV
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