German automaker adjusts production, expands plans for new models and reinforces focus on combustion and hybrid vehicles
Porsche has decided to change course: instead of chasing volume, it wants to sell fewer cars and earn more from each of them. The strategy, unveiled by Chief Executive Michael Leiters, calls for cutting production capacity to adjust it to falling demand — and marks the end of the expansion cycle that took the brand to a record 320,221 vehicles delivered in 2023.
The picture changed quickly. The downturn in China, pressured by local competition, and the exit of the 718 and Macan models from the European market — where they did not meet the new cybersecurity requirements — brought down sales. In 2025, deliveries fell to 279,449 units, a level close to that of 2020. The beginning of 2026 brought no relief: in the first quarter, the brand sold 60,991 cars, down 15%.
In view of this, Leiters argues that profitability does not depend on growing in volume: for him, Porsche needs to make money even by selling fewer cars, sustaining high margins on current and future products, even if it costs part of sales. The statement was given to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
Even with the lower production, the portfolio should grow. Among the plans is the return of the Boxster and Cayman sports cars, which should arrive in combustion and fully electric versions. The brand is also studying a high-performance model above the 911, the feasibility of which will depend on customer response. The reinforcement of combustion and hybrid engines reverses Porsche’s previous bet on an accelerated transition to electric.
The announced three-row SUV positioned above the Cayenne has an uncertain future: initially conceived as electric and then rethought to receive a combustion engine, the project may not even get off the ground, according to FAZ. More certain is the new compact crossover that will replace the first-generation Macan — which will be discontinued later this year — with gasoline and hybrid options. Technically related to the Audi Q5, it tends to become one of the brand’s largest volumes.
The rapprochement with Audi is part of a larger effort to contain costs that Leiters said have spiraled out of control in recent years. He did not confirm rumors of further cuts of 2,000 to 4,000 employees, but said a new cost-cutting program should be closed before Germany’s summer break in July. All this without abandoning combustion engines, which have once again gained space in the manufacturer’s plans.
