Porsche may stop using diesel engines as Volkswagen scandal spreads, 20,000 Cayennes will be recalled

After nearly two years of investigation, the "emissions gate" incident has not only not subsided, but has become more and more serious.

Just on July 28, Porsche, the luxury sports car brand under the Volkswagen Group, issued a recall statement, saying that the company discovered "illegal behavior" in its engine control software during an internal investigation, and has reported it to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (KBA) and will begin recalling this fall.

As the emissions scandal continues to ferment, the image of diesel engines has been severely damaged, and many automakers have begun to re-examine their strategies. According to the Securities Daily reporter, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume recently said that Porsche has begun to consider abandoning fuel engines and will decide within ten years whether its latest generation of diesel engines will be its last generation. It is worth mentioning that this is the first German automaker to publicly state that it may stop using diesel engines.

Industry insiders have analyzed that the crisis of trust caused by Volkswagen's "emissions scandal" that broke out in 2015 and has continued to ferment has become the trigger for diesel vehicles to "fall out of favor." It forced Porsche, a world-famous car manufacturer that started out as a sports car manufacturer, to "cut off its own arm" and stop producing diesel engines.

Emissions scandal hits Porsche

More than 20,000 Cayennes face recall

In fact, the investigation is the latest development after Volkswagen Group admitted to cheating in diesel engine tests in 2015. German prosecutors previously suspected Porsche employees of participating in potential fraud and false advertising, and found illegal software in diesel engines equipped by Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche.

The latest news shows that German transport officials confirmed that about 21,500 Porsche Cayenne 3.0L diesel versions were equipped with special devices to cheat through European emissions tests. The government will cancel the certification of these vehicles and Porsche must recall all vehicles involved. The Volkswagen Touareg SUV is also suspected of being installed with similar cheating software, and the German government is investigating.

The Securities Daily reporter learned that the recall involves 2014 to 2017 Cayenne 3.0L diesel models, totaling 21,500 vehicles in Europe and 6,000 in Germany. After the recall, Porsche will upgrade the engine software, and all costs will be borne by Porsche. There are also reports that the German Ministry of Transport believes that there are a total of 7,500 vehicles involved in the case in Germany, and the unsold models have been banned from registration.

In response, Porsche issued a statement saying that the engines of the recalled models were not manufactured by it. However, as a manufacturer, it will be responsible for the matter to the end.

In fact, as early as 2015, when the Volkswagen "emissions scandal" broke out, Porsche was not able to stay out of it and was investigated in many markets including the United States, Italy, and South Korea. In June this year, German prosecutors also investigated Porsche and its employees.

The reporter noticed that Porsche's 3.0L TDI engine comes from Audi. Because of this, Audi was also investigated by the German government after the "emissions scandal" broke out. The Audi models involved include A8, A7, Q7 and Q5. Previously, Porsche's 3.0L diesel models were also determined to use cheating software by the US investigation agency, but until May this year, Volkswagen Group's recall plan for 3.0L diesel models in the United States finally reached a settlement after multiple rounds of negotiations, and the impact was not further expanded.

A heroic act or an escape?

Porsche considers ditching diesel

Just last week, Europe exposed the situation of several major German automakers colluding to monopolize and cheat. Currently, among German car brands, except Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz have been involved in the "emissions scandal".

Porsche has already considered abandoning its gasoline engine as the image of diesel engines has been severely damaged by Volkswagen's cheating on diesel emissions tests.

Porsche CEO Blume recently revealed that Porsche will decide within 10 years whether its latest generation of diesel engines will be its last, according to Reuters. The reporter noted that this is the first time that a German automaker has publicly stated that it may stop using diesel.

Blume further explained that the Porsche brand will provide internal combustion engine vehicles, plug-in hybrid and pure battery vehicles in the next 10 to 15 years, and whether diesel vehicles still have a future, Porsche will make a judgment within 10 years. According to a source, one scenario is that Porsche completely withdraws from the diesel vehicle market.

In this regard, an industry insider told reporters that the European market is the base camp for automakers to sell diesel vehicles, and the Chinese market is a vital overseas market for mainstream automakers. However, both Europe's Euro 6 standard (diesel vehicles must emit less than 5 mg of carbon smoke per kilometer) and China's "carbon credit policy" almost indicate that the development of diesel vehicles is unsustainable.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.