Is driving a hobby of yours? Are you always on the lookout for the best Porsche turbos money can buy? Then you may be interested to learn that Porsche chief executive officer Oliver Blume has confirmed the company will not be adding driverless cars to its line-up.
The announcement may be good news to those who prefer getting behind the wheel themselves – a fact Mr Blume alluded to in an interview with German regional newspaper Westfalen-Blatt earlier this month (February 1st).
“An iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road. One wants to drive a Porsche by oneself,” he said.
The interview, which various UK media outlets, including Business Insider, translated, suggested Mr Blume will be leaving the research and development of autonomous vehicles to other companies.
Google pioneered driverless technology, but many car manufacturers have committed to exploring autonomous models, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Audi. Meanwhile, Toyota and Lexus have provided the vehicles that Google is using.
Mr Blume said partnerships can be beneficial, provided companies are lacking in the skills they need to progress in the market. Despite this, he claimed Porsche is a thriving manufacturer with no intention to move into the driverless segment.
However, Porsche is planning to produce more environmentally friendly motors. In the same interview, Mr Blume said his company would be spending €1 billion (£753 million) on manufacturing facilities to release an electric-only vehicle.
According to Mr Blume, Porsche intends to make hybrid plug-in models of all its cars over the coming years.