Porsche AG is building a lineup of environmentally friendly cars as part of its future-oriented sustainable development strategy, said its top executive during the Beijing auto show.
"Sustainability for us is a very important point, especially for our engines. Today, we have three plug-in hybrids that we are using in three different model ranges - the Panamera, the Cayenne, and also our high-end sports car, the 918," said Oliver Blume, chairman of the German premium sports car manufacturer.
He said the future lies in electric cars. "In the near future, for us it is plug-in technology. But the real challenge is the full electric car of the future you can drive like a Porsche."
That means the car will have a range of 500 kilometers and be fully charged in 15 minutes.
In fact, Porsche has already started a program on such an electric car called Mission E, the first fruits of which are expected to hit the market by the end of the decade.
Blume said the automaker will launch the electric car like a real sports car, and will then transfer the technology to other model ranges, such as its SUVs.
"Our electric SUV in the future will be a real sports car by Porsche," he said. "Talking about an SUV from Porsche, you are talking about a sports car. Driving an SUV from Porsche, you drive a sports car. That is the history of Porsche and we will do it in the future the same way always."
He said he has no worries that SUVs from other brands would attract Porsche customers away as models like Cayenne and Macan account for a lion's share of the brand's total sales.
Providing such products underlines the automaker's success in global markets, especially China, where Porsche sold more than 58,000 in 2015. China has surpassed the United States to become the brand's largest market.
China sales in the first quarter hit 16,000 units, a growth of 23 percent year-on-year.
But Blume said Porsche is not obsessed with short-term sales.
"Our expectation at this moment is to stay on the same level because we are doing a lot of investments for the future. Short-term profits are not as important for the company as its long-term future."
