Porsche CEO, Oliver Blume, has told a German newspaper the company doesn’t intend to follow other makers down the self-driving route…
“ONE WANTS TO drive a Porsche by oneself,” Blume said in an interview with regional newspaper Westfalen-Blatt published on Monday.
“An iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road,” Blume added, saying that Porsche did not need to team up with any big technology companies to be seen as an advanced company.
That said, Porsche isn’t ignoring the move to electrification and has confirmed it will launch a 911 hybrid in 2018 that will be capable of travelling up to 50km on electricity alone. And, Porsche has confirmed its all-electric MissionE will hit the market by 2020 boasting a 500km range – to show its commitment it’s spending $1 billion developing its factory where the MissionE will be produced.
So, while companies like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar seem firmly committed to including self-driving capability in new models, and greater integration with smart phones, Porsche seems determined to focus on its core philosophy of putting the driving in control and maximising the connection between car and driver.
Good work Porsche, some common sense from one of the best ever. Google and the rest can stick their self-driving crap.