Porsche, a car manufacturer between two worlds

The speed is so high that a passenger wearing a helmet and belt remains pinned to his seat. Stomach clenches, heart rate increases, heat floods the cheeks. At the Porsche circuit in Leipzig (Saxony, eastern Germany), the driver pushes the electric motors of the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The handling, a strong point of the brand, is not suitable. The victory is no small feat. With its 100-kilowatt-hour battery, this 1,100-horsepower, 2.3-ton model is the most powerful of all mass-produced Porsches in history.

The purpose of the expensive demonstration, held in conjunction with the annual results on March 12, is clear: to show nearly fifty journalists from all over the planet that Porsche’s electric cars are producing huge amounts.“feel” on the road like 911 legend, car logo and roar was born sixty years ago. The timing has been carefully chosen: the manufacturer has launched an electric version of the Macan SUV (also being tested on the same day), its best-selling model in 2023 and the Porsche Cayenne, and which must play a major role in the electrification of the range.

Almost ninety-three years after its creation by Ferdinand Porsche, the Stuttgart company finds itself occupying a dangerous path, between two opposing worlds. On the one hand, there is the heat engine that created his story, and which remains important for his economic model. On the other hand, electric mobility which represents part of its future and above all has been the subject of dizzying investment: in 2025, 15 billion euros will be spent on the electrification of Porsche. Despite the good financial results of March 12 (sales of 40 billion euros, up 7.7%; profit over 5 billion and an operating margin of 18%), the moment remains gentle.

Especially since the second strategic dilemma is emerging. Geopolitical tensions between China and the United States could force the company to choose between its two flagship stores, both important. Oliver Blume, the boss of Porsche and Volkswagen, the parent company, will have to manage in the coming months a kind of double “at the same time” with the possibility of serious consequences for the 42,000 employees of this car flagship.

The first challenge: negotiating where to turn the electricity. The manufacturer, listed on the stock market separately from Volkswagen since the fall of 2022, has committed to selling 80% of its electric cars by 2030. But is Porsche Porsche without its hot engine? Especially flat six-cylinder which equipment 911 – legend “six floors” for aficionados?

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