The decline in demand for electric cars is forcing manufacturers to change their strategic electrification plans, so they are deciding to continue developing consumption engines. One of them is Porsche, which is even considering the possibility of converting its all-electric cars into hybrid or ICE cars.
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Porsche’s Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke said: “What is clear is that we will stick with the internal combustion engine for much longer than we planned.”
According to sales results for Q3 2024, sales of the all-electric Taycan (both sedan and station wagon) fell by 50% compared to Q2, which led Porsche to reconsider its planned phase-out of the internal combustion engine.
Despite the plan for 80% of new Porsche cars to be EVs by 2030, sales results are the only measure and indicator of reality, success or failure.
And while other manufacturers are abandoning the rapid transition to fully electric cars, Lamborghini has remained determined on the path of electrification of its fleet. This was confirmed by Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, who said that their first all-electric GT crossover, the Lamborghini Lanzador, will hit the market by the end of the decade.
In an interview with Autocar, Winkelmann said: “We have enough time to decide whether to accelerate or delay the introduction of electric cars. For now, we are not thinking about delaying anything, we said we want to have our first electric car by the end of this decade and that is something we continue to nurture, because we said there should be an additional car, a fourth model.”
Lamborghini currently has hybrid cars in its range, which is a sign that the company has made smart moves and started a gradual transition to full electrification, unlike some other manufacturers who, due to the decline in demand for electric cars, suffered a huge financial loss.
Lamborghini Lanzador is described as a GT with high ground clearance, but with a design that it is not something that a typical crossover offers. The front part shows that it is undoubtedly a Lamborghini, while the side and three-quarters of the rear resemble an off-road vehicle. On the other hand, it cannot be confused with the current Lamborghini Urus.
Inside, the car offers a lot of space, and the rear doors offer access to a large luggage compartment, which can be increased by folding down the rear seats. The materials used are mainly produced in Italy and the thread is made from recycled plastic, while the seat foam and some other parts are made from recycled 3D printed plastic. The carbon fiber used in the interior also contains recycled elements like recycled PET, and even the water used to dye the leather is taken from olive oil plants.
Before self-driving cars become a reality on the roads around the world, some manufacturers have decided to use this feature to increase production efficiency. One of the places where self-driving cars are moving without drivers is BMW’s factories in Dingolfing and Leipzig.
In these plants, the 5 Series and 7 Series models, after assembly, move independently along a marked route from the production area to a small test track and then to the finishing area. It is an Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) system, and the vehicles move thanks to LiDAR sensors placed along the route, which cooperate with an external motion planner and an environmental model that controls the vehicle’s movement.
BMW plans to equip the Leipzig plant so that in the future 80 percent of the cars produced at this plant can move autonomously. The plan is also to expand this system to other plants.
