German car manufacturer Porsche has stopped making diesel vehicles following a drop in worldwide demand.
The company was quick to stress it was not 'demonising diesel', though sales have been massively hit by the VW emissions scandal and the greater awareness in recent years that, while it reduces carbon emissions, the fuel releases toxic emissions such as PM10 linked to heart and breathing conditions.
In a statement Porsche said that while 'interest in hybrid models is already taking off' demand for diesel models is dropping.
'In 2017, the diesel share of worldwide Porsches was 12%. Porsche has not had a diesel in its portfolio since February of this year. Due to this change in conditions, the company has decided to no longer offer diesel propulsion in future.'
'Porsche is not demonising diesel. It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology. We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free. Naturally we will continue to look after our existing diesel customers with the professionalism they expect,' said Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG.
Mr Blume added: 'Our aim is to occupy the technological vanguard.'
By 2022, Porsche said it will have invested more than six billion euros in e-mobility, and by 2025 'every second new Porsche vehicle could have an electric drive – either hybrid or purely electric'.
With the Taycan, Porsche will bring its first purely electric sports car to the market in 2019, claiming its manufacture 'is CO2 neutral and it is supplied with green electricity via an ultra-fast charging infrastructure spread over Europe'.
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