Porsche Q1 Sales Numbers — It Could Have Been A Lot Worse!

Porsche has released its sales figures for the first three months of 2020. They are down, but not nearly as bad as one might expect, given the turmoil in the new car market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Where other manufacturers are seeing sales plummet by 20% or more, overall Porsche was down a rather modest 5% for the quarter, according to a company press release. But that needs some clarification.

It depends on which markets you are looking at. Sales in Europe were up a healthy 20%, with 16,787 cars sold but they were down by similar amounts everywhere else. In North America, sales of 14,307 cars marked a 19% decrease. In the US, 11,994 cars sold in the first quarter added up to a 20% downturn. In China, sales were off 17%, with 14,098 cars sold, compared to an 8% decrease across all of Asia, with a total of 23,031 sold there. Worldwide, Porsche sold 53,125 vehicles, 5% fewer than during the same period last year.

Purists had a conniption when Porsche started selling SUVs and passenger cars with front-mounted engines — oh, the horror! — but those models are what has kept the company in business. If it had continued to rely on its iconic 911 and other sports cars, it would probably have passed into oblivion by now. Porsche has not released sales figures for all models so far this year. but this is what we do know for the first quarter of 2020:

• Cayenne: 18,417
• Macan: 15,547
• 911: 8,482
• Panamera: N/A
• 718 Boxster/Cayman: N/A
• Taycan: 1,391

That last statistic is interesting. Porsche has suggested it will fill all the existing orders for the Taycan — more than 15,000 — before the end of this year. That means it has its work cut out to reach that goal. Of the cars sold in the first quarter, 221 went to customers in the US.

Porsche announced this week that the Taycan 4S — a less expensive version with a less powerful rear motor than the Turbo and Turbo S models — may help invigorate sales in America.