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Porsche Boss Isn't Against Autonomous Cars, Just Don't Expect One From Them Soon

Porsche has made a few surprising changes in the past few years, and it looks like it will not be conservatives on all matters.
Porsche Mission E Concept - a preview of the first electric model from the brand 37 photos
Photo: Porsche
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If you recall, Porsche used air-cooled engines on the 911 well into the 1990s. The company then switched to water-cooled units for its iconic model, but the changes did not end there.

A few years after the water-cooled 911 was launched, Porsche made a move that shocked its purists: introduced the Cayenne, the first-ever SUV from the brand.

Porsche continued its avalanche of changes with great success, and launched its first diesel models, a four-door coupe, and another SUV. Today, Porsche sells hybrids, and has confirmed plans to launch a fully electric model that will be available to the general public.

These might not be surprising today, but a Porsche fan from the 1990s might get cold sweats when hearing that the beloved automaker was going to build SUVs and an electric car in the future.

In light of the changes that have occurred in the Porsche range over the years, you cannot help wondering what is next for this brand, which has managed to stay pure in spite of the new additions to the lineup. Driverless cars are a hot topic these days, and one might expect Porsche’s CEO, Oliver Blume, to be entirely against them.

An interview with the Brits at Autocar has revealed that Porsche is not planning to build an autonomous car soon. However, its CEO has nothing against the technology, and would see some autonomous driving features and systems as driver aids.

In other words, nobody will be able to buy a Porsche that will drive by itself entirely, but a few systems from autonomous cars might be implemented even in the most driver-focused machines of this brand.

Evidently, it is too soon to speak of the moment when these systems will be implemented, but it will take a few more years until it will be safe to let go of the steering wheel in a Porsche. Do not do that in any car, by the way.

We propose a small imagination exercise to replace eventual “purist complaints” on the matter: imagine that your Porsche 911 could search for a parking space on its own after you get out of it at a restaurant or a hotel.

The same could be done when you reach the office in the morning, all without wasting time crawling through traffic, and without the fear of a valet hooning your car to its knees (and possibly crashing).
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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