Porsche may use VW stake to avoid emissions rules

Porsche has a major challenge on its hands in the form of strict new fuel-economy and emissions regulations set to roll in across the U.S. and Europe in coming years. Carmakers are being forced to improve their average fleet-wide mileage and carbon emissions levels and for a niche brand like Porsche, which sells a limited range of high-performance models, meeting these new standards will be near impossible given the current deadlines.

To get around the new regulations, Porsche may be able to merge its fuel-economy and emissions data with those of Volkswagen because of its increased stake in the German giant. The loophole is not unheard of in the auto industry, reports Automotive News. Ford reports Mazda fuel economy data as its own, even though it has only a minority stake in the Japanese automaker, and Ferrari may do the same with Fiat Group.

A major hurdle is the fact that VW Group’s fuel-economy and emissions levels are still considered high. Porsche's manager for energy and the environment, Herbert Ampferer, revealed to reporters VW has "enough to do" to meet its own goals and will not be able to help.

Some alternative solutions Porsche is examining includes launching fuel-efficient diesel and petrol-electric hybrid models, but these cars are unlikely to sell in high numbers and their respective launch dates are still years away.