Photo: Porsche
Earlier this week, a report by German publication Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claimed Porsche is no longer selling new cars in Europe, based on the finding that the carmaker’s online configurator no longer allowed some of the models to be selected and purchased.
The reason behind this alleged halt in production was believed to be the fact that the cars need to comply with the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), that once passed means vehicles would meet the future European emission regulations.
All the claims of the German publication have been refuted by Porsche on Tuesday, in a statement that reads it “continues to sell new vehicles in Europe as usual.”
Only it doesn’t sell them as usual.
Porsche contradicts its initial statement by admitting that for the moment customers can only order their cars through a Porsche dealership, and not online. One of the reason for this is the fact there is high demand for its cars, says Porsche.
Another reason is the fact that to be able to comply with WLTP, Porsche has to be “making its model range fit for the coming emission standards.” This means adding a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) to the cars, a course of action that “has resulted in limited configuration options.”
The carmaker says its cars would be getting GPFs in stages, starting with the 911 and 718 model lines. The 911 4 GTS with all-wheel drive and PDK would follow, and then the 718 basic and GTS models. Pretty much as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung initially reported.
“Porsche is prioritizing the transition of model ranges to ensure that the most attractive possible product range remains available to customers,” the carmaker said in a statement.
“For two-door sports cars – where in some cases the proportion of vehicles featuring automatic gearboxes is over 90 percent – these versions will be introduced to the market particularly quickly.”
All the claims of the German publication have been refuted by Porsche on Tuesday, in a statement that reads it “continues to sell new vehicles in Europe as usual.”
Only it doesn’t sell them as usual.
Porsche contradicts its initial statement by admitting that for the moment customers can only order their cars through a Porsche dealership, and not online. One of the reason for this is the fact there is high demand for its cars, says Porsche.
Another reason is the fact that to be able to comply with WLTP, Porsche has to be “making its model range fit for the coming emission standards.” This means adding a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) to the cars, a course of action that “has resulted in limited configuration options.”
The carmaker says its cars would be getting GPFs in stages, starting with the 911 and 718 model lines. The 911 4 GTS with all-wheel drive and PDK would follow, and then the 718 basic and GTS models. Pretty much as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung initially reported.
“Porsche is prioritizing the transition of model ranges to ensure that the most attractive possible product range remains available to customers,” the carmaker said in a statement.
“For two-door sports cars – where in some cases the proportion of vehicles featuring automatic gearboxes is over 90 percent – these versions will be introduced to the market particularly quickly.”
Google News