Porsche AG is all set to build a plug-in hybrid version of its Panamera sedan for the U.S markets by 2014. This move is part of a larger plug-in offensive fromVolkswagen that owns 49.9 percent of Porsche and plans to debut electrified versions of its Audi Q7 andA3 as well as the European Passat. The vehicles will make their way to showrooms between 2014 and 2015. An all-electric Golf is also due in 2013.
Hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, have two propulsion systems, such as a gasoline engine and an electric motor or a diesel engine and an electric motor. They do not plug in. Plug-in hybrids, such as the Chevrolet Volt, are powered by an electric motor and battery pack backed up by a gasoline or diesel engine that extends driving range and recharges the battery. From what we hear plug-in hybrids are the future of hybrids.
Why introduce plug-ins in the automaker’s luxury brands? Volkswagen claims high-end buyers are more likely to take long trips, and thus need the range-extending capability of an internal combustion engine as well. We understand that plug-in hybrids have the advantage of being able to use electric power for short distances and still get the range of an internal-combustion engine but we also think it’s more likely that the company’s elite clientele would prefer to absorb the technology’s cost premium in their already higher MSRPs.
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