Porsche Opens New Factory for the Taycan in Stuttgart
Given demand and changing needs for electric vehicles, Porsche opens new EV-focused production facility.
Times are a’ changin’ in the automotive industry, and Porsche working hard to keep ahead of the curve. Recently, the company introduced the all-electric Taycan. With its high-performance and sleek appearance, it seems the Taycan is delivering a hot EV. To keep up with the emerging market, and changing technology, Porsche has opened the brand’s first all-electric sports car and bespoke production facility.
“The zero-emissions Taycan is a new Porsche icon,” says Oliver Blume. “It is different to our previous vehicles, yet is still a typical Porsche–innovative, sporty and emotive.”
Porsche invited 320 guests from politics, business, and media to the factory opening. It has been a long road from the presentation of the Mission E concept vehicle at the IAA motor show in 2015 and the start of production for the first Taycan customer vehicles. The new production facility sets new standards in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.
“We are committed to the climate protection targets agreed in Paris in December 2015 and have a clear responsibility to cut environmentally harmful emissions. However, our sustainability strategy goes much further than de-carbonization,” said Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics of Porsche AG. “Porsche is pursuing the goal of a Zero Impact Factory–production without any negative impact on the environment.”
“We have a level of responsibility for the environment and society. Production of the Taycan is already carbon-neutral. Heritage meets the future at our parent plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, which is the heart of the brand”, explains Blume.
Of course, this new factory and electromobility means the creation of more jobs. The Taycan heralds a new era in automotive production. Production is networked and flexible. Porsche uses automated guided vehicle systems instead of traditional conveyor belts to transport components and vehicles from station to station.
“We call our journey into this new era Porsche Production 4.0. We are using state-of-the-art technologies to network the digital world with the mechanical world,” says Reimold. “The focus at Porsche is still on people. Porsche employees are an integral part of the project. After all, we produce vehicles by people for people.”
Production of the Porsche Taycan will see 1,500 new jobs created at the site. While constructing the new factory and preparing for production, Porsche has also implemented an unprecedented training program to familiarize all employees with the unique features of electromobility. In total, the company is set to invest more than six and a half billion dollars in electromobility by 2022.
Porsche has invested about $765 million in the new production facilities alone, including the new body shop, which will also be used for the current generation of the Porsche 911. The new factory complements production of two-seater sports cars–250 vehicles from the 911 and 718 series roll off the assembly line every day at the historic Zuffenhausen site.
“Electromobility is creating around 1,500 new jobs in carbon-neutral production here in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen,” said Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. “Porsche is therefore making an important statement about electric driving and German engineering. It is important now that everyone benefits from the technology and experiences – both manufacturers and customers. We need the electric Beetle effect on the road–as quickly as possible.”
Photos: Porsche
