No Surprises: Taycan Is Already No. 1 Porsche in Europe
Are Taycan sales taking away volume from other Porsche models? Possibly, but there may be other potential factors involved.
Porsche introduced the Taycan and 911 within months of each other. Fortunately, both received vast praise from automotive critics. But the focus always pivoted more towards the first fully electric vehicle to come from Porsche. Now, it seems like the buying public decided one of those two models is more worthy, by a long shot.
As covered by CleanTechnica, Europeans flocked to the Taycan more than any of its Porsche siblings in August 2020. While the sales data provides a snapshot into how the Taycan is faring, it may not demonstrate that the era of the internal combustion Porsche is over.
Taycan Ascendant?
Europeans apparently gravitated to the Taycan in surprising numbers. Normally, that wouldn’t be news, but the vehicle is very important to Porsche. And the data doesn’t lie. Porsche moved 1,183 of them for August. By contrast, the 911 convinced 1,097 Europeans to buy one during the same period. For the venerable model, that figured represented a 37 percent decline. Additionally, other models in the Porsche lineup experienced a drop in volume. Macan sales dropped a whopping 67 percent. However, that wasn’t the most dramatic number. Panamera volume slumped by a staggering 71 percent to just 278 units sold in August. In fact, the only Porsche model that experienced an increase in volume was the Cayenne Coupe. Porsche moved 554 of those crossovers during the same period. That represented a 29 percent increase. The regular Cayenne stayed flat.
Not So Fast
Clearly, customers responded to all the positive buzz surrounding the Taycan. That’s undoubtedly a good thing. That being said, does its popularity indicate a permanent decline for gasoline powered models from Porsche? Maybe. However, there may be more factors at play here. For starters, the pandemic upended any type of clear look into automotive sales. It’s entirely possible that Porsche, or their suppliers, are facing shortages related to plant shutdowns. As a result, some of the models that experienced big volume drops might have had buyers if they had actually arrived on dealer lots. Incentives probably factor in here too. Porsche, like any other automaker, discounts models when necessary. A likely scenario could involve Porsche taking incentives away from certain models. That always has an effect on sales. Additionally, the Taycan is the hottest Porsche available right now because it’s the newest kid on the block. Obviously, the redesigned 911 is also fresh. But it’s not a radically different take on previous models.
To be fair, Panamera sales tanked by a substantial amount and could have been affected by the Taycan’s introduction. After all, both models are quite similar in appearance. In terms of pricing, both compete with each other too. Of course, even when that is factored in, it doesn’t account for buzz and hype. The Panamera originally went on sale about 10 years ago. And while it received a redesign during the last decade, it’s hard to compete with Porsche’s first all-electric model.
Taycan Takes Charge
No matter how you slice it, the Taycan’s sales success is good news. It’s hard to judge the Porsche lineup’s sales against each other, given the ongoing economic upheaval and all. Regardless of that factor, no one could really predict how customers would respond to the Taycan. Porsche must be quite pleased with the results. The public’s rapid embrace of the first electrified Porsche is extremely significant. More importantly, it most likely means that some of the previously mentioned models will soon become all-electric themselves. Either way, the future looks bright.
Photos: Porsche