Porsche’s Electric Taycan Sales on Course to Eclipse Iconic 911

(Bloomberg) --

Porsche buyers are flocking in droves to the brand’s Taycan sedan with sales of the all-electric model almost matching those of the iconic 911 sports car.

Porsche delivered 9,072 Taycans during the first quarter, trailing the 911 by 61 units, the brand owned by Volkswagen AG said Friday in a statement. The manufacturer unveiled its first purely battery-powered model that’s competing for customers with Tesla Inc.’s Model S in 2019.

“Established models have supported this excellent result along with the latest additions to our product range, above all the new model variants of the all-electric Taycan,” sales chief Detlev von Platen said of the brand’s 36% first-quarter surge.. “We can look back on a very positive start to the year.”

A positive reception to the Taycan, which was recently flanked by a more spacious version, is a litmus test for the carmaker’s costly shift to electric vehicles. Maintaining healthy margins is also vital for VW as Porsche was the group’s biggest profit contributor by far last year.

Global deliveries rose to 71,986 vehicles in the first quarter, driven mainly by demand in Porsche’s largest market China. The compact Macan SUV was the brand’s best-selling model ahead of the larger Cayenne. Porsche will launch a battery-powered version of the Macan next year that’s underpinned by a new technology for upscale electric cars co-developed with sister brand Audi.

Porsche remains optimistic about business prospects this year even as a global shortage of semiconductor parts disrupts production plans across the industry. Order books “continue to develop very well,” von Platen said.

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