Porsche Needs Audi's Help Building Taycans

Porsche's first all-electric vehicle is already a smashing success. Nearly 4,500 examples of the Porsche Taycan were delivered in the first half of this year. New for the 2020 model year, the Taycan returns for 2021 with more new technologies such as a color head-up display, a "Smartlift" system that automatically raises ride height in specific locations, more over-the-air updates, and a new service for more convenient charging. An additional seven exterior colors are also now available. Although not all brand enthusiasts are thrilled by the automaker's EV market entry, the Taycan seems to be luring in plenty of existing and new customers alike.

In fact, Taycan demand is so high that, according to Germany's Automobilwoche, Porsche has requested the production assistance of Audi. Basically, Porsche can barely keep up with production, so Audi has sent over 400 or so employees to help out.

"400 employees from the Audi site in Neckarsulm [Germany] are temporarily switching to Porsche in Zuffenhausen to support, among other things, the production of the fully electric Porsche Taycan," an Audi spokesperson confirmed.

Apparently, the first group of Audi employees arrived in June and more are expected in the coming months. They are involved in all areas of production, including assembly, body construction, and the paint shop. The plan is for them to remain at Porsche for at least two years. The Zuffenhausen facility in Stuttgart has been producing Taycans for a year now, but even before it started orders were piling up. Combined with coronavirus-related factory shutdowns, there was no choice but to bring in additional help to keep things on track. A total of 2,000 people were hired specifically for Taycan construction although only 1,500 positions were initially planned, and now more permanent hires are needed.