When the Porsche Taycan was new, it looked like it was going to stamp the life out of the 718 and 911. But as we’ve since learned, novelty is a big driver of EV sales, and the Taycan has since slowed down. So much, in fact, that last quarter, Taycan sales dipped to less than half what they were last year, while 911 sales went even further in the opposite direction.
Announced Tuesday, Porsche‘s U.S. Q2 sales figures report sales of 807 Taycans versus 4,790 911s over the same period. That’s a ratio of almost six to one, a major turnaround since the days when the Taycan outsold everything that wasn’t an SUV. Compared to last year’s 1,635 sales in Q2, it’s a decline of over 50 percent. Porsche 911s meanwhile jumped from 3,140 sales in Q2 2023, for an increase of more than 52 percent.
Year-to-date figures aren’t as extreme, with the 911 up a considerably smaller margin of 18 percent. That’s a rise from 5,650 cars in the first half of last year to 6,720 this time around. The Taycan on the other hand fell from 3,162 to 2,054, or 35 percent. Most of the volume change occurred in Q2, which suggests the trend to be seasonal—though there are other factors at work.
Changes to the federal tax credit and other incentive programs may have led Porsche to liquidate Taycan inventory early in the year, preventing older EVs from stacking up on dealer lots. After all, it has just updated the Taycan for model year 2025, which may also account for some of the demand dip. People may just be holding out for the improved Taycan, rather than buying the ones that are already available. In all likelihood, the Taycan will see a resurgence later this year and into next as the 2025s hit the roads.
But will it challenge the 911 once again? That seems like a taller order than ever, no matter how good the enhanced Taycan is.
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