After protests
Porsche gives up expansion plans for test track in southern Italy
Porsche wanted to expand its test track in the south of Italy. On the other hand, protest from environmentalists. The plans have been on hold for a long time. Now the Swabians draw a line.
After protests, the sports car manufacturer Porsche gives up the planned expansion of its test track in southern Italy. The company said that the company said that the development plan was not pursuing. However, the center remains an important part of Porsche’s development opportunities. The VW subsidiary also wants to test vehicles there in the future.
The decision is therefore the result of a comprehensive reflection and intensive discussions in the past few months. The consideration has included social, environmental and economic perspectives. “In particular, the currently challenging environment and the changing framework conditions for the global automotive industry played an important role in this decision,” it said. The Stuttgart -based company reported a drop in profits in mid -March and announced austerity measures.
Environmentalists have protested against expansion
Porsche has been running one of the most modern test routes in the world not far from the municipality of Nardò in Apulia, just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean. This includes a circuit of more than twelve kilometers with a diameter of four kilometers. Porsche checks new vehicles on the more than 700 hectares. But other car manufacturers also use the location.
The expansion plans caused displeasure among environmentalists and residents. According to the carmaker, the carmaker wanted to invest around 450 million euros. Existing routes are to be renovated, new ones are built. Environmentalists warned that huge areas of landscape and forest would be sacrificed. The regional government had already had a preliminary stop last year.
dpa
Source: Stern
