Production of the Porsche Taycan is reportedly being reduced by the German carmaker, as demand for the model and the wider luxury electric vehicle (EV) market slows down.
German newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports the Zuffenhausen plant where the Porsche Taycan is built is set to move to a single-shift production schedule, down from its existing two-shift routine.
The newspaper has attributed the cut-backs to decreasing demand for EVs, which has had a significant impact on Porsche’s flagship EV.
In the Taycan’s first full global year on sale in 2021, Porsche sold 41,296 examples of its luxury EV, the model’s highest annual sales to date.
While a 16 per cent dip to 34,801 sales in 2022 was attributed to “supply chain bottlenecks and limited component availability”, Porsche bounced back to sell 40,629 Taycans in 2023 amidst a generally strong year for the German marque.
The Taycan has also been a popular choice since it hit the Australian market in 2021, with 531 examples sold in its first year here, dropping slightly to 430 sales in 2022 and rebounding to a peak of 535 sales in 2023.
From January to June this year, 163 Taycans have been sold in Australia, down 33.7 per cent on the same period last year, during which period 246 examples were sold.
Overall EV sales in Australia were down 13.2 per cent for the month of June compared to the same time last year, however year-to-date there’s been a 16.5 per cent increase on the opening six months of 2023.
In the luxury EV segment for January-June, Australian sales of the Audi e-tron GT are down 66.8 per cent, while the Mercedes-Benz EQE has also dropped by 24.1 per cent year-to-date.
While Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports Porsche has promised zero job cuts at the plant as it negotiates with the German works council, only permanent employees are safe, as contracts for temporary employees were reportedly not renewed in recent weeks.
The production shift cuts come amid the Taycan’s recent facelift, which is expected to arrive in Australian showrooms in the coming months.
The update brings with it more power, faster charging and tweaked visuals, while there’s also been a price increase of between $10,400 and $15,100 depending on the model variant.
Also arriving this year is the Nürburgring record-holding Taycan Turbo GT, which will cost upwards of $400,000 and take the crown as the fastest EV on sale in Australia.
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