Porsche’s Taycan Stumble Demands a Bigger Fix
The German automaker must adapt to multiple threats including waning Chinese demand, slower EV uptake and a possible US trade conflict.
Porsche’s stumble with its electric Taycan model bodes ill for the sportscar maker.
Photographer: Bing Guan/BloombergThe early success of the electric Taycan was a key part of Porsche AG’s pitch to investors when it sold shares in 2022; more than 60% of the sporty sedan’s buyers were new to the brand. Yet for customers – and Porsche shareholders – the Taycan risks becoming a headache that’s symptomatic of deeper problems at the German purveyor of high-priced sports cars and SUVs.
To prevent its premium valuation from continuing to deflate, Porsche must swiftly recover its poise and more clearly explain how it will prosper in a world of waning Chinese demand, slower EV uptake and a possible US trade conflict. It would help if it had its own boss, rather than sharing a chief executive officer with majority owner Volkswagen AG.