A strong partnership for the electric future

In the meantime, the Zagreb-based company has more than 500 employees and two purely electric super sports cars — the Concept One and the C Two. The C Two will roll off the production line next year. In addition to electric cars, the Croatian company produces drive and battery systems for other manufacturers. Last year Porsche acquired a ten percent minority shareholding of Rimac Automobili. We are firmly convinced that the Croatian electric pioneer and his company are a fantastic strategic partner with whom we can advance the future of electric mobility.

Together with our CFO, Lutz Meschke, I visited Mate Rimac and his team in Croatia at the end of June to support the young founder in his meeting with the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. As Lutz Meschke already explained in his LinkedIn Pulse article: the automotive industry, electromobility and entrepreneurship need the same attention in Croatia as football at the 2018 World Cup, when the nation stormed sensationally into the final.

Rimac Automobili and the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Croatia met for a discussion about the potential of the new auto industry development in Croatia

Electric mobility and sustainability — a strong duo

But why is electric mobility such a central issue for Porsche at all? Why invest in a young startup from Croatia? And where does this road lead us?

We certainly want to strengthen our position in the global competition for innovation and launch new, sustainable products on the market.

Even as a company with a long tradition, it is our task to always be one step ahead and to strengthen our own future viability. But that alone is not the only reason why we are so heavily engaged in electric mobility. We are aware of our responsibility towards people and the environment and want to make a decisive contribution to sustainable mobility.

How we understand and integrate sustainability at Porsche

Sustainability is a fundamental component of our business model and a central corporate objective of the Porsche-Strategy 2025.

“We are continuously working to integrate sustainability into all areas of our business and all processes along the value chain.”

Our goal is to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible and reduce the environmental impact of our development and production processes to a minimum. Since 2014, Porsche has already reduced vehicle-specific CO₂ emissions by more than 75 percent through production improvements.

Our investments in electromobility are an expression of our commitment to being a pioneer in this field. In September 2015, we presented Mission E, a concept study of a fully electric Porsche. This year, the first all-electric Porsche will be launched on the market. The Taycan, the production of which is CO₂-neutral, heralds a new era for Porsche. With the Mission E Cross Turismo, our next all-electric car is already in the starting blocks.

Mission E at TNW conference in Amsterdam

Over the next few years, we will continuously expand our electric vehicle portfolio and extend it to our entire product range. With Porsche E-Performance, we have developed an overall concept for all-electric mobility requirements. We think holistically — from the charging infrastructure through apps and services to forward-looking vehicle concepts; national and global; electric and digital. But always sustainably.