Autoblog

Porsche remains resolute in the face of the United States' proposed fuel economy standards. Speaking with Automotive News, Porsche's North American CEO, Detlev von Platen, made it clear that the automaker's plan for the future is to create the same compelling vehicles it has in the past, but its focus on fuel efficiency won't come at the expense of Porsche's products.

"We will make our cars more fuel efficient," von Platen told AN, "but it will not change our nature." As such, Porsche doesn't intend to produce smaller vehicles, nor will it look to diesels or small-displacement engines. Instead, it's bucking the trend set by BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz – which are about introduce a new range of diesel vehicles in the U.S. – by bringing the hybrid Cayenne, jointly developed with Volkswagen and Audi, to market towards the end of 2010. The NA exec goes on to say that none of Porsche's U.S. lineup is slapped with a gas-guzzler tax, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Association's proposed regulations will require Porsche's corporate average fuel economy to rise to 41.3 mpg in 2015. That means the 911 would need to exceed the current Toyota Camry's fuel economy numbers due to the coupe's footprint. Unfortunately, von Platen didn't divulge how the automaker would meet NHTSA's stringent demands. More turbos? Less weight? We should have a clearer idea by the turn of the decade.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]