- Porsche says electric transition will take longer than expected
- Porsche still plans to adopt an all-electric model in its lineup
- Gas-powered Macan and 718 sports cars are headed for extinction
Porsche is the latest automaker to shift its strategy when it comes to electric vehicles due to slower-than-expected growth in demand.
Quoting a statement from Porsche, Reuters reported on Monday that the automaker now expects transition to electric vehicles take longer than initially anticipated and that it no longer has the target of electric vehicle sales reaching 80% of total sales by 2030.
Instead, Porsche will explicitly link its EV sales targets to customer demand and development of the electric vehicle segment, the automaker said, adding that it could reach the original 80% target by 2030 if demand warranted it.
Porsche isn’t alone. Mercedes-Benz said in February that it now expects sell gasoline powered cars beyond 2030, while it previously thought it would be an all-electric brand by then. Similarly, Cadillac, which also had targeted an all-electric lineup by 2030, said in May that it will likely still sell gasoline-powered cars beyond that date.
Porsche Macan 2025
Porsche still plans for to finish some of their gasoline powered cars in the coming years. The current 718 Boxster and Cayman will be replaced by an electric successor next year, and the gas-powered Macan will end production in 2026. An electric Macan was released earlier this year.
Porsche’s first electric vehicle, the Taycan, has undergone a sharp drop in sales so far this year, although some of that is due to buyers waiting for the updated 2025 model which debuted in February. Taycan sales fell 54% in the first three months of 2024, compared to the same period last year.
Porsche this week also appointed a new head of China after its sales in the country suffered a 33% decline in the first half of 2024. China accounted for about 25% of Porsche’s global sales in 2017, but that figure has now fallen to about 19%.