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Burkhard Riering and Michael Gerster
Porsche's Taycan will be based on the Mission e concept (shown).
There are already indications that the demand for the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron will be higher than the two automakers initially calculated.
Porsche has doubled the planned volume for the Taycan, its first full-electric model, to meet the demand.
A total of 40,000 electric vehicles a year are expected to be built at Porsche's new plant at its headquarters in Zuffenhausen, Stuttgart, Automobilwoche has learned from company sources. The automaker had previously cited 20,000 units. The new figure would make the Taycan more successful than the iconic 911 sports car, which sold nearly 36,000 last year.
Porsche is already accepting non-binding reservations for the Taycan for 2,500 euros ($2,840). The EV is due to be presented at the Frankfurt auto show in September and delivered to buyers in early 2020. Pricing has not been announced, although Porsche is expected to position the Taycan below the brand's Panamera sedan and above the Cayenne SUV, with a likely starting price above 80,000 euros (about $91,000).
Since the Zuffenhausen plant's maximum capacity is 40,000, a second production facility will soon be necessary, Automobilwoche has learned. Porsche's Leipzig plant is seen as the most likely option.
The company has hired 1,200 workers for the production of the Taycan at its Stuttgart headquarters and invested about 1 billion euros in the project.
Audi demand
Due to the strong demand for its e-tron SUV, Audi is also planning to increase the capacity of its Brussels, Belgium, plant in 2020, Automobilwoche has learned. The number of vehicles produced per hour is then due to rise to 24 from 20.
"The demand for the e-tron is growing, so we continue to look at our production capacity and adjust it to the market situation where necessary," Patrick Danau, managing director for Audi Brussels, told Automobilwoche.
When necessary, every available calendar day is used to cover the demand, he said. The production ramp-up phase is now underway. At 20 cars per hour, Audi can build about 70,000 e-trons a year in a two-shift operation, assuming 220 production days.