The Porsche Taycan seemed poised to outsell the 911 in 2022, but it seems even Porsche's best electric efforts couldn't dethrone the iconic sports car. After a strong 2021, sales and prices for the Taycan fell in 2022, while the 911 prices rose somewhat dramatically. It seems that the 911's supremacy cannot be shaken just yet.
In the US, Taycan prices have fallen 8% to $132,417 whereas 911 prices have risen dramatically by more than 27% to $177,342. On top of this, Taycan US sales numbers are down from 2021 from 9,419 sold to 7,271. CEO Oliver Blume has said before that the future of Porsche is electric, but right now it's hard to say that with numbers like these.
Worldwide, this trend is continued, with Porsche EV sales down 16% year-over-year from 41,296 to 34,801 (with the Taycan family comprising all of this.) As a percentage of the company's overall volume, this means it fell by 2.5% to 11.2% for 2022.
The company blames supply chain bottlenecks and limited component availability specifically for the decrease in sales, but it's hard to argue with the decrease in price. The vehicle has shown that it just doesn't have the same ability to bring in big money as the 911 can. Could this be due to the fewer variants available? An inability to satisfy tastes? Perhaps a bit of both, but overall throughout the industry, we're seeing EV prices go down.
Tesla made headlines earlier this year with some rather drastic price cuts that brought the prices of certain models down by $13,000. This frustrated consumers and recent buyers, and sent some shockwaves through the industry that saw Ford drop the price of the Mach-E and many others having to chime in to justify their own EV prices.
This is certainly a symptom of the overall climate of the EV market, which is seeing a greater influx in competition and production from all sides. These greater options are putting downward pressure on the market for potentially the first time, even though more EVs are getting into the hands of customers than ever before.
There's also the fact that although Porsche says the future is electric, it isn't putting all its eggs in one basket. Just recently, Porsche began production on synthetic fuel in Chile which will put out a net zero carbon footprint when used. On the one hand, this is great for all the combustion vehicle owners who will want to keep on the road for years to come, but on the other, it definitely creates a conflict for would-be Taycan owners when considering the vehicle.
It's a fantastic vehicle, but when push comes to shove, it's just no 911.