Porsche enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief. There'll be no Audi or Lamborghini platform under the iconic sportscar brand's next generation mid-engined Ferarri and McLaren competitor.
That's the word from Porsche board member, Vice President Research & Development and Head of Engines and Transmissions Development for the Volkswagen Group, Wolfgang Hatz (pictured).
motoring.com.au was gifted an unprecedented period of time with Hatz at this week's press welcome to the new generation 991. And during the discussions, the Porsche R&D boss was very quick to dispel rumours that a fight had broken out between Audi/Lamborghini and Porsche for development responsibility over the new mid-engined platform that will underpin new supercars from the three brands.
The straight-talking Hatz was unequivocal.
"I have read that we will be forced to use the next generation R8 [to build our mid-engined car] but this is bullshit. It is bullshit."
According to Hatz, Lamborghini and Audi had gone a long way down the development cycle of a new platform but the entry of Porsche into the Volkswagen Group fold has changed the status quo.
"If you compare our record on building sportscars with [Audi and Lamborghini]... Then I think you have the answer. Nobody has the record of building sportscar and making the financials work like we do," he said.
According to Hatz, Porsche's position as the head of sportscar development for the Volkswagen Audi Group is unchallenged.
Hatz also dismisses suggestions that the group will rush towards carbon-fibre construction. Light-weighting Porsche's sportscar will still be an incremental task it seems.
"I think that carbon-fibre is still a problem in terms of production costs," he cautions.
"Take the new 911 for example. We have 70-80 per cent of the components in aluminium and about half the car [body in white] weight in alloy. It still makes sense, from my side also, to make some parts in steel... Hot pressed and so on.
"If we were to build the same body [chassis] in carbon fibre it could be 12,000 or 14,000 euros... And we would not have the clear answer on building the volume of [chassis] in carbon-fibre," he says.
"I will be very interested in looking at how many BMW can build and how it goes with i3. I think maybe that it will not be so happy [financially]."
In the 'foreground' of the new mid-engined platform, Porsche's 918 venture continues apace, says Hatz. He says the company is yet to sell all the production slots for the race-bred V8 hybrid but comments there is still plenty of time.
"We will sell them all... Many [prospective] customers are waiting to be able to drive the car," Hatz explains.
"If you consider the price -- it is not much short of a Bugatti -- and consider the time it took them [to sell the first production run]," Hatz shrugs, clearly confident the car will be another Weissach success.
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