Has Porsche Killed the Taycan?

[JimBob]

The Macan will likely continue to be the high volume sales generator.

It has to be, it was the car that saved Porsche. They can't afford a failure. Lessons have been learned and the market may not be so tolerant if the Macan gets tagged with the same issues as the Taycan has.

Sponsored

 

[Jenner]

It has to be, it was the car that saved Porsche. They can't afford a failure. Lessons have been learned and the market may not be so tolerant if the Macan gets tagged with the same issues as the Taycan has.

The Macan was certainly not the car that saved Porsche! Most people incorrectly think it was the Cayenne when it was actually the Boxster:

https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/...aved-porsche-25-years-of-the-porsche-boxster/

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...r-that-saved-porsche-20-years-of-the-boxster/

https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/boxster-at-25-driving-the-car-that-saved-porsche/

https://www.goodwood.com/grr/road/news/how-the-boxster-saved-porsche--thank-frankel-its-friday/

Plenty more on google if you are inclined to search.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

The Macan was certainly not the car that saved Porsche! Most people incorrectly think it was the Cayenne when it was actually the Boxster.

It was, at times:
- the 911
- the 924 (then the 944)
- the 986/996 pair - credit goes to the Boxster for pulling in the audience, but it was the 911 that brought the profits
- the Cayenne

The theme is: however great the 911 may have been throughout its life, the company always needed a support vehicle to stay alive.

 

[Jenner]

Either way it certainly wasn't the Macan!
Sorry for derailing the thread. To bring it back on topic

"The Taycan has already been in service for four years. By now they have mastered the technology and the after-sales service; it’s a reassuring choice. "

Am I living in a different world? It's one recall after another can't even use the charging cable the car came with, all kinds of battery, heater issues/recalls/failures and supply problems . No I don't think the Gen 1 technology is not mastered nor is the service. Some people have been without their cars waiting for parts for months!

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Either way it certainly wasn't the Macan!

Some say it’s not even a Porsche..

The Taycan ain’t going anywhere. Porsche have stated multiple times their goal is to sell 80% electric vehicles by 2030. Maybe their stance has somewhat softened recently, but one does not make a decade-long strategic plan every other year.

911 sales are roughly at 20% of total by units, and it’ll be the last (if ever) to go full electric. That means they need to cover all of their segments with EVs - the city CUV, the sedan, the sportscar and the proper utility V. I can see the Cayenne retaining ICE status (as an option) for proper off-roading creds, but the rest have no reason to.

Will the Taycan -badge- continue? Not really relevant, the learnings are there if it gets merged into the Panamera, although I think the Taycan is a more compelling, more genuine expression of the company’s ethos.

 

[RAHRCR]

Taycan has been a profitable laboratory experiment for Porsche.…

I am ok with participating in ONE experiment…..but after that, I will pass.

 

[JimBob]

Porsche has a market cap of about $82 billion and the Cayenne and Macan are by far the largest component of sales.

For 2021 (most recent year I had data for)

911	38,464
Boxster/Cayman	20,502
Cayenne	83,071
Panamera	30,220
Macan	88,362
Taycan	41,296

So yeah, they are most of the company. And the Boxster is going to save the company? BS.
And Taycan sales are down from these numbers. If electric is the path forward to a higher stock price, then the Macan and Cayenne are what count.

 

[Jenner]

I never said "is going to" you said "saved"

It has to be, it was the car that saved Porsche.

"saved" as in when they had financial problems in the PAST. The Macan didn't turn the company around or keep them from going out of business.

SUVs are infinitely more practical than 2 door sports cars. Obviously they will sell more units. You are saying the Macan is their "bread and butter" car (ie high sales volume) which I completely agree with. I don't agree that the Macan ever "saved" the company.

Had you bothered to read a link in my post above:
"People think the Cayenne SUV was the stroke of genius that pulled Porsche from financial ruin, though few know it was actually the Boxster that turned the company’s fortunes. "

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Porsche has a market cap of about $82 billion and the Cayenne and Macan are by far the largest component of sales.

For 2021 (most recent year I had data for)

911	38,464
Boxster/Cayman	20,502
Cayenne	83,071
Panamera	30,220
Macan	88,362
Taycan	41,296

So yeah, they are most of the company. And the Boxster is going to save the company? BS.
And Taycan sales are down from these numbers. If electric is the path forward to a higher stock price, then the Macan and Cayenne are what count.

What @Jenner said; Porsche has not been in need of saving since the mid-00s. The last time that happened it was the Cayenne. 10 years earlier (~’93) it was the Boxster.

The Macan is a corporate badge-engineered money maker.

 

[BenJL]

Am I living in a different world? It's one recall after another can't even use the charging cable the car came with, all kinds of battery, heater issues/recalls/failures and supply problems . No I don't think the Gen 1 technology is not mastered nor is the service. Some people have been without their cars waiting for parts for months!

Yeah... but it was exactly where Porsche put all there effort.

I had a lengthy discussion with the salesperson at the dealership. I've never encountered any problems with my 2020 Taycan, but he himself admitted that the Taycan has faced numerous issues and that they have worked hard to improve stability in the 2025 model. Perhaps this is just a sales tactic? A standard line given to all customers?

In any case, he confirmed issues with the heaters and batteries and mentioned that they had redesigned these components with new manufacturers involved.
I am inclined to believe them.

 

[Andics]

I can't recommend this podcast enough...and given the debate on the porsche history I would encourage everyone to listen to it (the guys are amazing)

https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/porsche-with-doug-demuro

 

[D00]

Some say it’s not even a Porsche..

The Taycan ain’t going anywhere. Porsche have stated multiple times their goal is to sell 80% electric vehicles by 2030. Maybe their stance has somewhat softened recently, but one does not make a decade-long strategic plan every other year.

911 sales are roughly at 20% of total by units, and it’ll be the last (if ever) to go full electric. That means they need to cover all of their segments with EVs - the city CUV, the sedan, the sportscar and the proper utility V. I can see the Cayenne retaining ICE status (as an option) for proper off-roading creds, but the rest have no reason to.

Will the Taycan -badge- continue? Not really relevant, the learnings are there if it gets merged into the Panamera, although I think the Taycan is a more compelling, more genuine expression of the company’s ethos.

Governments have set EV quotas. It isn’t a manufacturer choice.
UK (and maybe EU?) legislation against manufacturers on EV sales vs ICE:
2024: 22% of all new cars sold, rising every year thereafter, to 80% at 2030 and 100% by 2035.
Personally I can see this being watered down, with PHEVs being included. EVs do not suit everyone’s needs.

Sponsored