Porsche CEO Has A Clear Message For Ferrari And Lamborghini

Sep. 09, 2021 10:15 AM ET by Martin Bigg Electric Vehicles / 17 Comments

Porsche's CEO doesn't think Ferrari and Lamborghini should be exempt from this rule.

Automakers are under a lot of pressure to reduce carbon emissions right now. Europe wants to ban combustion car sales by 2035, which has huge implications for low-volume supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. To try and keep the combustion engine alive, Italy's government is in talks with the European Union to try and make manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini exempt from the ban.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume has a clear message for Ferrari and Lamborghini, arguing that no car manufacturer should be allowed to bend the rules.

2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo Frontal Aspect

2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo Front Angle View

2020-2021 Porsche Taycan Front View Driving

2020-2021 Porsche Taycan Rear View Driving

"Electric in the next decade will be unbeatable," said Blume. "De-carbonization is a global question and everybody has to contribute." Yes, that includes Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Compared to the Italian carmakers, Porsche is already ahead of the game when it comes to electrification. The Porsche Taycan has been on sale since the 2020 model year and Porsche will introduce an all-electric version of its best-selling model, the Macan, next year. By contrast, Ferrari and Lamborghini don't have a single EV in their lineups. Since it's a key part of its identity, Lamborghini is reluctant to ditch its sublime-sounding V12 any time soon.

"What we sell is emotion, and part of that emotion comes from the sound of the engine," Lamborghini's Chief Technology Officer, Maurizio Reggiani, said in a recent interview with The Drive.

"For us, it's fundamental to continue to use a V12 engine. That is the best in terms of sound and progressivity, and it's the sound Lamborghini customers want to hear." However, Lamborghini aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent by 2025 and launch its first fully-electric supercar by the end of the decade. Lamborghini has already started to embrace electrification with the new Countach, which has a 6.5-liter V12 mated to a 48-volt motor. Ferrari, on the other hand, will launch its first EV by 2025, and recently unveiled the new plug-in hybrid 296 GTB.