Porsche CEO Oliver Blume tells us five secrets

Wheels got the opportunity to sit down for a chat with the boss of Porsche, Oliver Blume. He was clearly in a reflective mood on the future of the company and electrification of the model range was front and centre of his plans. Here are five things we learned:

There could be an electric Boxster on the way

“Because of the mid-engine it [a Boxster EV] could work. It depends on the development of the markets and the needs. We will decide this year in what direction we will develop the Boxster segment. When we do an electric cars it will be a platform specially developed for electric cars. Our opinion is that when you use a car that is designed for a petrol engine it doesn't fit for an EV because of the construction of the body. When you play in the segment like Porsche to develop very sporty cars, it has to be tailor made for each type of engine.”

Yes, the Macan really is going all-electric

“We have the idea to offer in each segment three options of engines (high performance petrol, plug-in hybrid and pure electromobility). In the limousine segment, we will have the Panamera as petrol and hybrid and the Taycan as electric. In the SUV segment our ideas is a fully electrified Macan, petrol Cayenne and a hybrid Cayenne. Our idea for the Macan is to continue with some updates as long as possible and then to come round about 2020 with the electrified Macan.”

But it might not be called a Macan any longer

“It will be an SUV and it will have the roots of the Macan, but it will look very different and future orientated. When we develop a new car in the model range, it's always a challenge to make it even better without losing tradition. We haven't decided yet [to continue the Macan nameplate].”

Winning Le Mans with a hybrid is easier than bringing a hybrid 911 to market

“The hybrid version of the 911 is already prepared, but it has to be the best and the most performing one, but the evolution of the batteries will take between three and four years. We need a special distance. It's not enough for us to have only 5km of range. We need the option to drive in cities on pure electric. Today with our plug-in hybrids we are reaching around 50km. In the Panamera we use a 37Ah cell. The next step, next year is 47Ah and for a hybrid version of a 911 we would go for the next step, 60-70Ah.”

The 911 Turbo S could be deposed as flagship by the hybrid 911

“The most performing Panamera is the eight cylinder plug-in hybrid with nearly 700 horsepower. In this generation the 911 Turbo S will be the quickest one and the most powerful. When we introduce the hybrid, we haven't decided yet if it will be top of everything. The Turbo S 911 that we present at the end of this year – and coming to Australia in 2020 – will be much more powerful [than the non-S]. It's a newly developed engine and so it's a challenge when we use the hybrids to do it even more powerful but it's possible.”