Quote Of The Day: How To Diss EVs Without Really Dissing
No interview with a leader of the automotive industry is complete without the requisite question about electric plans. Porsche CEO Matthias Müller engineered a trick answer:
“We are not closing our minds to this development. Should it become apparent by 2020 that 20 percent of all new cars are electric, you can take it that Porsche will also be challenging for 20 percent of its sales to be electric vehicles. But I’m reckoning on a total EV share closer to 3 percent to 5 percent by 2020.”
So said Müller to Automotive News [sub], and here’s guessing that he will use that line again.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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"But I’m reckoning on a total EV share closer to 3 percent to 5 percent by 2020." I think that qualifies him as a cockeyed optimist on the future of BEVs.
Seems to me, that of all the conversions on the internet Porsche is Number One. Which leads me to believe the CEO doesn't know the customer.
All he's saying is that EVs are market losers, but if Porsche's customers want them, Porsche will build them. There is no point in building PC cars that nobody wants.