Porsche Has Officially Stopped Building Diesel Vehicles

Porsche has revealed that it will no longer sell any diesel-powered vehicles.

In the three years since Volkswagen’s diesel cheating scandal, demand for diesel Porsche models has dropped. The company says now is the time to move past diesel altogether and dedicate its focus towards petrol, electric, and hybrid powertrains.

Porsche hasn’t had a diesel in its portfolio since February 2018 but in a statement, Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume said the automaker will continue to look after owners of diesel Porsches.

“Porsche is not demonizing diesel. It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology.

“We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free.

“Naturally we will continue to look after our existing diesel customers with the professionalism they expect,” Blume confirmed.

Unlike many other large automakers, Porsche has never had a particularly strong love affair with diesels. In fact, the brand’s first diesel model only hit the market a decade ago.

During an interview with Germany’s Bild am Sonntag, Blume added that the Audi-sourced diesel engines which Porsche has sold in the past have caused trouble for the company.

“We have never developed and produced diesel engines ourselves. Still, Porsche’s image has suffered. The diesel crisis has caused us a lot of trouble,” he said.

Porsche’s decision to ditch diesels for good comes at the same time certain German cities are implementing driving bans on select diesel vehicles. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also considering new laws that would require car manufacturers to carry out hardware upgrades for old diesel vehicles in a bid to reduce pollution.