Porsche is now stepping on the brakes when it comes to the development of mid-engine electric cars because these cannot compete with gasoline cars.
Porsche has chosen to postpone the launch of a new electric car. The car simply lives up to the standard that Germans expect from, for example, gasoline models.
Porsche is among those running into problems with battery supplier Valmet Automotive, which the car brand has repeatedly asked to change the battery design. Porsche just doesn't want to pay for it.
This is what Automobilwoche writes.
Challenges could lead to further delays to the upcoming electric Boxster and Cayman models.
However, it's not just the Boxster and Cayman that are causing problems in Zuffenhausen. Porsche had planned to launch a fully electric Cayenne in 2026, but this project is also plagued by an unmet schedule.
Porsche has also spent several years developing a new seven-seat SUV, known internally as the K1, to be positioned a step above the Cayenne in the model range. But here too, the Germans are running behind schedule.
Automobilwoche indicates that Porsche will now spend extra time investigating whether the K1, originally intended only as an electric car, can also accommodate a combustion engine .
This will, however, require several changes to the VW Group's Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). But it may be necessary. Because in crucial markets, Porsche's sales are plummeting.
European sales of the Taycan have fallen 52 percent this year to 7,548 units, and the all-electric Macan has also failed to sell in expected volumes, with just 6,377 cars sold this year. The low demand could force Porsche to move Taycan production from Zuffenhausen to a plant in Leipzig.
Porsche's sales in China have also fallen by 29%, and the company has lost ground to local competitors offering a 'similar product' at a lower price.
– Because the Porsche brand was unsettled. But now Chinese consumers are looking around and finding other options.
"The inevitable reality is that it is much more cost-effective to get horsepower out of an electric car. Moving away from electric cars means moving away from China."
– China is setting the pace for the future of premium cars. Car brands that fail to excel in software and electric cars will not only lose market share in China.
"They will also face similar problems in Europe and the US over time," Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco told Auto News.
