The Porsche Taycan has been enjoying increased sales in the U.S. With 350 sales in the first quarter of 2020, the demand for the Taycan is steadily growing. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spanner in the works by forcing the Taycan’s speedy sales to slow down. COVID-19 led to a six-week closure of Porsche’s Zuffenhausen assembly plant in Stuttgart. As the Taycan’s manufacturing home, the Stuttgart closure will prevent some American car buyers from being able to make a purchase this year.
Increased Global Demand
The global demand for Porsche Taycan sales has more than exceeded Porsche’s expectations. Klaus Zellmer, chief executive of Porsche in North America remains confident about the growing market for performance electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. The Taycan is becoming a sought after EV with impressive reviews coming in from various auto enthusiasts. This is no surprise when you see the Porsche Taycan performance figures. It boasts up to 750 horsepower and launches from 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds. Who wouldn’t be impressed by these figures! The really positive sign is that the demand remains high despite the high price tag for the Porsche Taycan which begins at $104,000.
Slower Sales Supply
The Taycan’s production halted for a full six weeks. This might not sound like a long time, but it was enough time to have made a substantial impact on the North American sales supply. With less stringent emissions rules and ongoing demand for the Tesla brand, the U.S. demand for the Taycan seems to be limited. With an already low U.S. output, the production halt has even lowered the amount of Taycan’s that land on US ground. According to Zellmer, thousands of cars won’t reach U.S. shores this year due to the halt in production.
Strong Sales In Europe
Within the first quarter of 2020, the US only represented 15% of the Porsche Taycan’s global sales. This is partly because the majority of new Taycan’s are reserved for the European market with a predominant supply to Germany and Norway. With stringent emissions rules across Europe, the Taycan is an appealing choice as it offers top performance while meeting emissions requirements. The global demand has also been somewhat of a surprise, with Porsche looking to double its annual production capacity to 40,000 units. Even China is beginning to show signs of recovery in its Porsche sales.
U.S. Porsche Taycan Demand On The Up
With time it is expected that the demand for performance EVs in the U.S. will steadily increase over time. The hope is that the parent company of Porsche, Volkswagen, will prioritize production of the Taycan as the U.S. demand grows. Porsche is also investing in its charging infrastructure, also known as the “Porsche Destination Charging” network. The U.S. currently boasts over 300 highway stations across 42 states. And 184 sites housed in 17 metros. As demand increases, so will the need for accessibility of Porsche’s servicing network. Porsche seems to be responding well with Volkswagen planning to invest 33 billion Euros into Porsche over the next 5 years. This provides us with much optimism about Porsche’s future in the U.S. market.