‘Porsche exits flagship project Audi, pays millions’

A year and a half ago, Audi announced that it was working on the flagship of the future under the name Artemis. An electrically powered top limousine with the latest technology on board. Especially in the field of autonomous driving and software, it should become the crème de la crème of the Volkswagen Group. As R&D leader within the group, Audi is developing the architecture for this car, but not just for its own model. Bentley also joins in and initially the plan was that Porsche would also come up with its own car based on Artemis. The latter, according to the generally well-informed Automobilwoche not through.

According to the medium, Porsche would like to go for a different route for its new luxury top model. The autonomous driving with which Artemis wants to impress would not fit well with the philosophy of the brand, according to Porsche. After all, Porsche is mainly aimed at people who want to drive (sporty) themselves. That is why the car, of which we will probably only get a concrete sign of life in a few years, would ‘simply’ be developed on the PPE basis, which also includes the first electric Macan.

This change of course is not without consequences for Porsche’s greenhouse. Although it is part of the same group, Porsche now has to settle a score with Volkswagen. The production of the Artemis models is planned in Hanover in the factory where Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle branch holds sway. As compensation, Porsche is said to pay that branch of the brand €100 million, because there is now a gap in the production schedule. Porsche would now build the top limousine, referred to internally as K1, in its own factory in Leipzig. That will take a while, because production will not start until 2026. Incidentally, Audi starts a year earlier with the Artemis and probably Bentley also with its model on that basis.