A simple reason why Porsche is in serious long-term trouble

[MissionE]

I love Porsches, and I've been racing them for over 20 years. But if you think about why Porsche has been the ultimate (OK, maybe Ferrari here) performance car for so long, it's a combination of two things. Engine and Chassis. I would say that in terms of performance and durability, the Porsche engines are at the pinnacle of the industry.

Now, with the advent of EV's, the engine no longer exists, and that simply eliminates one of the primary benefits that Porsche offered. With the introduction of the Taycan, Porsche produced a car with a motor that they had no experience whatsoever developing. Other companies have developed motors and drivetrains that are equal to the Porsche offerings in terms of power, response, and efficiency. They have lost one of their primary advantages that they had maintained for decades, and that spells big trouble for the brand.

I'm old school and still race my six speed manual, and there is nothing like the engagement you get with a manual transmission, no 'nannies' (other than ABS), and a beautiful sounding six cylinder engine. Sadly, those days are gone for road cars, and Porsche is in a very bad position right now. Not sure if they can fully recover.

They’re also developing eFuels, so there will be a future with petrol. They just have to find the dynamic. Core models as evs with the GT variants ICE sounds like a good balance.

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[MissionE]

You forgot Porsche steering, suspension, braking and overall handling. My Carrera 2 at 380 hp could impress anyone at a consistent speed of 50 mph on a twisty mountain road. My Taycan drives like a Porsche. Other EVs are not in the same league because of overall handling.

Yeah you can program a car to go fast; you can’t program a car to handle well. That takes 70 years of racing heritage.

 

[MissionE]

Porsche was already in trouble, even with the ultimate engine and chassis. It took a pair of SUVs to save them.

Not to mention, people won’t be driving forever. The EVTOL revolution is coming, and manufacturers will either have to adapt, or…

 

[PoorShah]

One thing is certain: Tesla has demonstrated that even with cutting-edge technology, a brand can still struggle to establish a strong identity or deliver a truly desirable car. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers have shown that, even when technological advancements are easily replicated, a significant number of consumers continue to prioritize heritage and legacy over sheer functionality.

No kid goes to sleep at night dreaming of a Plaid because it goes faster than a Ferrari.

 

[whitex]

One thing is certain: Tesla has demonstrated that even with cutting-edge technology, a brand can still struggle to establish a strong identity or deliver a truly desirable car. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers have shown that, even when technological advancements are easily replicated, a significant number of consumers continue to prioritize heritage and legacy over sheer functionality.

No kid goes to sleep at night dreaming of a Plaid because it goes faster than a Ferrari.

Got any data to back this up? For example Ferrari sales are tiny compared to BYD or Tesla, or even VW or Toyota - in total revenue, number of cars, and total profit. How does this prove Ferrari is great but the other guys are not? As for kids, you might be surprised what the dream of. A lot of current generation doesn't even want cars.

 

[ze_shark]

I think that such comparisons are beside the point. Ferrari, Porsche & Tesla are not competitors.

Tesla could have become a premium brand, but over-investment in capacity and one-config-fits-all supply chain constraints made them into a mass market value brand, now destroyed by suicidal, toxic political association. That stench is not going away anytime soon, if ever.

Porsche sells 25x more cars than Ferrari, it is in a premium segment of its own, positioned much higher than BMW/Audi/Merc, but well below Ferrari/Lamborghini/McLaren/Bentley/Aston.

I always cringe at the association of Tesla with "technology".
Yes, the app layer is slick and still the benchmark, but the true technology that matters is the kinematic BEV stack, and there, they are anything but the benchmark in performance and efficiency.

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