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Porsche's Electric Dream Could Be Too Ambitious

Porsche, the automaker that once made cars so fast they could probably outrun a speeding ticket, is now having a bit of an electric identity crisis. Back in 2022, they were all, "We're gonna be 80% electric by the end of the decade, baby!" But now they're whispering, "Maybe, possibly, if the stars align and the unicorns fart rainbows."

It's like they signed up for a marathon, sprinted for the first mile, and now they're huffing and puffing, eyeing the finish line with a mix of terror and regret. Porsche insists their plan to turn the iconic 911 into a silent, battery-powered ghost car is still on track, but don't hold your breath for a silent, battery-powered ghost car that handles like a dream. That's probably more of a 2040 thing.

Joining Porsche in the electric blues is Bentley, who originally planned to ditch gas-guzzling machines entirely by 2030. Now they're more like, "2033, maybe? If we're lucky?" Mercedes, ever the optimist, thought half their sales would be electric by 2025. Turns out, math is hard, and so is convincing people to give up the roar of a V8 for the hum of a motor.

Audi, on the other hand, is having a full-blown existential crisis with their electric SUVs. They're selling like soggy sandwiches at a vegan picnic. Audi's like, "We built this fancy electric car factory, but nobody wants to buy our electric cars! What do we do now? Make electric bicycles?"

Jaguar is in an even worse pickle. They're going all-in on electric, but their current lineup is about as popular as a pineapple on pizza. They're basically saying, "Hey, remember all those cool Jags you liked? Yeah, forget about them. We're only making expensive electric ones now."

Ford, the everyman of the auto industry, has also hit a speed bump. They wanted to be all-electric by 2030, but then realized people still like their F-150s more than they like saving the planet. Volkswagen, never one to shy away from a challenge, tried to bring their electric ID.7 to America. But America said, "No thanks, we prefer our trucks and SUVs."

Toyota, the stubborn grandpa of the car world, is sticking to its guns. They think electric cars are a fad and that everyone will eventually come back to good old-fashioned gasoline. BMW is somewhere in the middle, hoping for a 50/50 split between electric and gas.

So, what does it all mean? Well, it means the future of cars is a lot more complicated than anyone thought. It's a balancing act between pleasing eco-conscious customers, meeting government regulations, and, most importantly, making money. And while we all want to drive sleek, silent electric cars, the reality is that change takes time. So, enjoy your gas-powered cars while they last, because the electric revolution is still a work in progress.

TopGear Magazine June 2024