Porsche ditches diesel engines for good in wake of VW emissions scandal – and switches focus to electric power
The German manufacturer revealed it "suffered" in the wake of the 2015 dieselgate scandal - and it now wants to focus on hybrid and electric options
LUXURY car manufacturer Porsche has announced it will no longer be offering diesel engines in any of its cars.
The German marque allegedly "suffered" in the wake of parent company Volkswagen's 2015 diesel emissions scandal, leading to the decision to cut the fuel source.
Porsche stopped taking orders for diesel variants in February, having offered the engine option for almost 10 years.
But now the company has officially decided to turn its back on diesel, instead opting to focus on petrol, hybrid and electric motors.
Porsche said that demand for diesel models was dropping, claiming they made up just 12 per cent of cars sold by the brand worldwide in 2017.
Chief Executive, Oliver Blume, said the company wasn't "demonising diesel" in statement on Sunday.
He said: "Porsche is not demonising 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."
Porsche's existing diesel customers would continue to be served, Blume said.
The car maker killed off diesel engines in its Macan and Panamera models earlier this year, with Sunday's statement ruling it out across its luxury range.
The "dieselgate" scandal saw Porsche's parent company, Volkswagen, fined £1.2billion for altering cars to beat emissions testing.
And while Porsche diesel engines were in fact built by Audi, the brand still took a hit following the scandal.
It was ordered to recall some 60,000 cars by German authorities in May after they were also accused of cheating emissions tests.
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In a separate interview with newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Blume said: "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."
The company is investing more than £5.4billion in electric mobility by 2022, and will launch the Taycan - its first fully-electric sports car - next year.