No More Mr Compromise

Andreas Preuninger lays down the law on preserving Porsche’s GT car purity

AS FAR AS challenging jobs in the motoring industry go, Andreas Preuninger’s role as boss of Porsche’s GT sportscars division has to be one of the hardest.

Electrification of modern cars in the near future is seen as an inevitability by most in the industry. Not Preuninger, who on a media call with Australian journalists remained defiant about when Porsche’s GT cars will go hybrid.

This is a challenge not only because of ever-tightening emissions regulations (which Preuninger says Porsche is being “strangled” by) but also due to the company’s self-imposed goals.

Porsche has committed to being entirely carbon neutral as a company by 2030. This extends to the batteries it purchases from third parties, with CEO Oliver Blume being blunt about how it will affect the company’s relationships with other businesses.

“In the next step, we will also demand this from our suppliers. Anyone who develops battery cells for us must manufacture them exclusively with sustainable energy,” Blume said.

So, how does Preuninger balance his quest for near-eternal purity for the 911, with the company’s campaign to become carbon neutral in the near future?

“We are a strong believer in synthetic fuels,” the GT division boss said, before letting slip that the benefits aren’t solely environmental. “You can even make more power with those, and they are a lot cleaner.”

Though, to achieve the golden goose egg of more power without extra carbon emissions, more money will need to be invested, something the Stuttgart manufacturer is already doing.

“It is more expensive but the more you spend money in developing that process the better, and the lower the cost will be in the end,” Preuninger added.

“Look at all the cars with combustion engines currently out there. You can’t suddenly stop using them one day.