No speed-limiters for Porsche

Future Volvo drivers better keep an eye on their mirrors in Germany, because Porsche has shrugged off any talk of curbing their drivers’ high-speed enthusiasm.

Porsche chief Oliver Blume yesterday confirmed there would be no speed-limiters on any of his company’s cars, ever.

While fellow Germans Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz voluntarily limit their top speeds to 250km/h, Volvo lowered that bar this week to 180km/h, citing safety reasons.

“As humans, we all understand the dangers with snakes, spiders and heights. With speeds, not so much,” Volvo’s senior safety specialist Jan Ivarsson said.

“People often drive too fast in a given traffic situation and have poor speed adaption in relation to that traffic situation and their own capabilities as a driver.

“We need to support better behavior and help people realise and understand that speeding is dangerous.”

That figure seems to put Volvo’s high-performance electric brand, Polestar, in an awkward position, though sources there suggest the Polestars 2 mid-size sedan will be limited to 200km/h and the faster Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid coupe, which won’t be sold in Australia, will score a 250km/h limiter.

Even that is too slow for Porsche, though.

“I am not a fan to limit the speeds on our roads and I am very lucky to have the opportunity to drive as fast as I want,” Blume said at the Geneva motor show.

“Our drivers can drive as fast as they feel they are able to drive.

“For us it plays a big role to our customers on racetrack days, with the Porsche Experience Centres, too.”

While Volvo cited safety concerns, Blume responded that Porsche had started work on a €100 million crash-safety research centre, plus had access to all the Volkswagen Group’s crash-safety research and technology.

“For us, first comes the security of our customers and we are investing €100 million in a crash centre for our customers,” he said.

Porsche took the decision to stay away from the voluntary speed-limiting of its cars when the rest of the German industry did, at least in part because it gave the sports car maker a massive point of difference to its compatriots.

“Porsche was always so special and that’s a brand differentiation we have, and if we are put under pressure, then I can live with pressure,” Blume insisted.

Another reason Volvo may have taken its lower-speed stance is to reduce its engineering costs.

European non-profit lobby organisation Transport & Environment confirmed that Volvo may receive a WLTP fuel-consumption and emissions boost from the lower speed limit, even though the test cycle tops out at 130km/h.

“If the car is engineered for a lower top speed (not just software limited) the engine map should be able to deliver greater efficiency overall across the WLTP cycle,” Transport & Environment head Greg Archer explained.

“You can also lighten weight further as some components can be smaller, lowering cost too.”