Porsches continue delivery amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Even with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Porsche has been unphased by the developments. While the German brand did have to temporarily shut down its factories in the interest of public health and safety, its 911 sales were able to cushion the blow. The German automaker was able to sell 8,482 units of the iconic 911 within the first three months of 2020. The figures actually marked a 16% increase in sales over the same period in 2019. This indicates that even as the brand’s total deliveries have dropped due to the pandemic, its sales are still holding strong.

Porsche has sold 53,125 units worldwide in the first quarter of 2020 alone. This represents a 5% decline from the previous year where the German automotive brand was able to sell 55,700 units. Despite this, the brand is experiencing better success in its home continent of Europe. It was able to sell 16,787 units compared to the previous year’s 14,004 units. With an increase in sales in its home region Porsche was able to cushion the blow of the pandemic.

We are not alone in clearly feeling the effects of the coronavirus crisis on our deliveries. But Our focus now is on standing together with our business partners worldwide. Working together, we are in a position to react quickly and appropriately to further developments.

Detlev von Platen
Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG

While it's no surprise that China represents Porsche’s biggest market, the brand has experienced a downturn in sales. It was only able to sell 14,098 units compared to the 16,890 units it was able to sell last year. Even in the United States, the German performance brand is struggling as its sales were 20% lower than what it was back in 2019. It was only able to sell 11,994 units compared to 15,024 units in the previous year. Other markets such as Africa and the Middle East have also seen losses in sales with an 8% decrease.

Despite losses in multiple markets Porsche has expressed its optimism for its overall prospects in the coming months. Plate chimes in again and states that “After this challenging first quarter, we are now actively preparing to restart production. Our top priority will always be the health of our employees, the employees of our retail partners and, of course, the health of our customers. We are confident that the outlook is positive, not least because we see a clear recovery in the Chinese market—almost all of our Porsche Centers there have already reopened.”