Electric cars?

[sptrawler]

More to that story than meets the eye -

The electric-only successor to today’s Boxster convertible and Cayman coupe models has been delayed multiple times, reportedly due to battery issues.​

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Unlike many EVs, where battery cells live in a horizontal layer under the floor, the new 718 has a vertical battery stack behind the passenger compartment to more closely mimic the weight balance of a traditional mid-engine sports car.​

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We don’t know when the new petrol-powered 718 models will debut, but it will likely be after the electric 718 variants have been launched as Porsche will probably need to do a bit re-engineering of the 718’s unique platform to accommodate the petrol engines and their ancillaries.​

Codenamed ‘K1’, the super-sized Porsche was originally planned to use the “sport” derivative of Volkswagen Group’s electric-only Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).​

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K1 will now instead feature petrol and plug-in hybrid drivetrains. This decision likely came about because a large proportion of this class of car are sold in the US and Middle East, where EV adoption lags well behind Europe and China.​

Yes John, here is an article from AFR.

Porsche’s EV dumping shows cracks in German auto empire

Porsche is shelving a future battery-powered luxury SUV and will add more combustion engine models as it contends with high costs and muted sales.

www.afr.com

From the article:
The Germans – like their European peers Stellantis and Renault – are grappling with lower-than-expected EV demand even after they poured billions of euros into the technology.

Porsche has struggled to live up to expectations since its blockbuster 2022 listing, with a slowdown in China and US tariffs also taking a toll. A profit warning on Friday was the fourth time the company has cut guidance this year, and the share price has fallen so low that Porsche is dropping out of the DAX, Germany’s benchmark index.

Auto buyers “are putting little value on luxury electric cars,” said Matthias Schmidt, an independent vehicle analyst based near Hamburg.

To be sure, Volkswagen has made some headway on EVs this year. It’s outselling Tesla, Stellantis and BYD in Europe and has unveiled several affordable battery models to further stoke demand. And automakers in the region may get regulatory relief after politicians including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed industry warnings that the European Union’s plan to have them sell only new EVs in ten years’ time is unrealistic.

Porsche has replaced several executives and is slashing costs, including through job cuts, to get back on course. It also ditched a plan to produce its own batteries due to weak EV demand.

Still, the latest problems are putting more pressure on Oliver Blume, who is chief executive of both companies, to relinquish the Porsche role and allow someone else to turn the brand around. The search for a new leader has begun, Bloomberg News reported last month, with the Porsche-Piëch owner family holding discussions with potential candidates.

 

[JohnDe]

Yes John, here is an article from AFR.

Porsche’s EV dumping shows cracks in German auto empire

Porsche is shelving a future battery-powered luxury SUV and will add more combustion engine models as it contends with high costs and muted sales.

www.afr.com

From the article:
The Germans – like their European peers Stellantis and Renault – are grappling with lower-than-expected EV demand even after they poured billions of euros into the technology.

Porsche has struggled to live up to expectations since its blockbuster 2022 listing, with a slowdown in China and US tariffs also taking a toll. A profit warning on Friday was the fourth time the company has cut guidance this year, and the share price has fallen so low that Porsche is dropping out of the DAX, Germany’s benchmark index.

Auto buyers “are putting little value on luxury electric cars,” said Matthias Schmidt, an independent vehicle analyst based near Hamburg.

To be sure, Volkswagen has made some headway on EVs this year. It’s outselling Tesla, Stellantis and BYD in Europe and has unveiled several affordable battery models to further stoke demand. And automakers in the region may get regulatory relief after politicians including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed industry warnings that the European Union’s plan to have them sell only new EVs in ten years’ time is unrealistic.

Porsche has replaced several executives and is slashing costs, including through job cuts, to get back on course. It also ditched a plan to produce its own batteries due to weak EV demand.

Still, the latest problems are putting more pressure on Oliver Blume, who is chief executive of both companies, to relinquish the Porsche role and allow someone else to turn the brand around. The search for a new leader has begun, Bloomberg News reported last month, with the Porsche-Piëch owner family holding discussions with potential candidates.

that continues to point to what many have been saying for several years the ICEV industry is in trouble because they have not been preparing for a future dominated by EVs and China.

We are witnessing the beginning of the end of some of the world's biggest vehicle manufacturers, and they will say and do anything to try and slow or stop that end from coming. Electric shock: The Chinese threat to Europe’s industrial heartland

China engages in predatory trade practices. The colossal Chinese economy exports massive overcapacities of advanced manufactured goods to the world. But these goods are no longer the cheap electronics, washing machines and textiles of 25 years ago; complementarity is a thing of the past. Chinese goods now compete directly with Germany’s core industrial sectors. Current trends have the potential to dissolve Germany’s industrial backbone, including first and foremost its car industry.​

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Because of Germany’s deep integration with its neighbours, the ramifications of the second China shock will be widely felt. Direct trade between central and eastern Europe and China is comparatively low. But central and eastern European countries are wrapped tightly into German supply chains (and with each other). For years, these countries’ governments have been looking for a sweet spot: attaching themselves to competitive German global value chains, while cosying up to China for additional economic benefits. Yet central and eastern European leaders still fail to grasp that this China shock will be bruising for Germany—but fatal for them.​

This is the world of “level playing fields” with China; “improving European innovation” is the mantra. Political leaders’ discourse is preoccupied with notions of Europe spending more money, becoming more efficient and enhancing the framework conditions for its companies—to keep up with Chinese industries in key sectors, if not outcompete them.​

German vehicle manufacturers, put all their eggs in the one basket of high-end vehicle manufacturing that had EVs as a sideline, and now they scrambling to try and stay relevant.

German automobile manufacturers and suppliers have since established more than 350 sites in China. But the rapid growth in Chinese GDP and market sales concealed the structural challenges to the German position.​

German companies continue to invest heavily in activity within China and believe in their ability to turn things around. In March 2025, then-CEO of Volkswagen Oliver Blume, announced a new China strategy. He aims to secure 15% market share in the highly competitive Chinese market. This is a bold goal given that the overall market share of foreign car sales in China is falling steeply. ​

It is very unlikely that German market shares in China will bounce back, which will impact on the import of vehicles or parts made in Europe—with a significant effect on the supply chain in central and eastern Europe.​

 

[JohnDe]

Does Berkshire Hathaway know something or are they just monetising profits?
From CNN


View attachment 209211
Mick

There have been rumblings in the background or a while.

#10,038
BYD has publicly accused rival automakers of sabotage amid the intensifying EV price war, alleging underhanded tactics meant to damage its reputation and sales. The bold accusation reflects rising tensions in the hyper-competitive electric vehicle market, especially in China. Industry watchers now await responses from the accused competitors.