[opinion] - hmmm…VW/Audi/Porsche may be in trouble…

[daveo4EV]

But it's fighting back with a renewed dedication to gas engines.

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[daveo4EV]

given Porsche's recent facination with pricing themselves out of competition and their general lack of enthusiasm for things EV…this could be a replacment for my Cayenne Hybrid in 2026/2027…and I hate the Lucid Air - but bring me Lucid Saphire driving dynamic's with SUV class space (120 cubic/feet - more passenger room than a Chevy Suburban) - $132k fully optioned - 450 miles range - 350 kW charging…

yeah Porsche has got problems, and driving dynamics - well most likely the gap has been closed…



if they continue down this path - they may end up where they started - with only 911's as an offering…

A Cayenne EV at more than $150k (probably a lot more based on what I'm seeing with Taycan pricing) from a company that seems to wish for the past rather than embrace the future…hmmm…

going to be interesting the next 5+ years…

Lucid's ability to produce a reliable product has always been top of mind for me personally even on the day I posted the above message… to date it would be kind to say that owning a Lucid is a challenging experience…

the following video confirms my worst fears and is the most likely reason I'm going to have to choose a vehicle from another vendor - Lucid's engineering and their aspirations are deeply inline with my personal goals and desired features - their ability to execute is however demonstrably bad and unacceptable - that's unfortunate.

I'm going to have to keep looking …

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...engineering-explained-regrets-purchase.31957/

 

[SoccerMan94043]

Billionaire Porsche clan’s thirst for cash collides with Volkswagen’s woes

Synopsis
Europe's most powerful automotive dynasty faces mounting financial strains as Volkswagen's performance deteriorates. Hans Michel Piëch, who borrowed heavily to acquire family shares, may feel pressure to maintain loan payments if dividends decline. The clan's reliance on steady payouts threatens to hinder necessary changes for the sprawling auto empire's competitiveness.
. . .
In a period of transformational change — with VW beset by technological upheaval, flagging demand in major markets and new rivals like Tesla Inc. and BYD Co. — the family’s interest in maintaining dividends threatens to stall bigger changes to make the sprawling auto empire more competitive.

“Volkswagen is a governance mess,” said Serden Ozcan, professor of corporate transformation at Germany’s WHU business school in Dusseldorf. “The company needs to do the unthinkable, which is to break stuff apart and divest as much as possible. I don’t think the family is ready for that.”

The clan’s stake in Porsche Holding is now worth about $7 billion, down more than $3 billion since the Porsche AG sportscar maker was listed in late 2022. At least $1 billion in dividends over that period has helped cushion the blow, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Money is unlikely to continue to flow like in the past. Already this year, the proceeds paid out by Porsche Holding declined 25%, and the Porsche brand has said its dividend will be “significantly lower” next year.

Gas might be a short win, but is a long term failure.

It's sounds like VW might be prime for some PE activity. that would be really sad.

 

[Tooney]

Porsche Keeps Making Customers Pay For Trump’s Tariffs

Despite two previous price increases this year, Porsche's US sales are up 5.6 percent year to date

• Porsche confirms a third price hike in less than 12 months.
• Most models will rise between 1.2 and 2.9 percent in January.
• Buyers must take delivery by January 5 to avoid the increase.

 

[Tooney]

Our Porsche Macan EV Was Not a Great Way to Spend $100K - Edmunds
Despite its many positive attributes, our Macan simply couldn't justify its price tag.

• We owned a 2024 Porsche Macan 4 Electric for just over a year.
• In that time, we loved the way this SUV drove, but its interior quality and lack of space proved to be letdowns.
• Worse, our car cost $99,020, which proved to be a horrible overall value.

. . .
Would we do it again?
Life with the Macan 4 was relatively worry-free, though we did have one big issue where the electric charging port flap wouldn't open, requiring a trip to the dealership. Still, the more time we spent with the Macan, the lows really outweighed the highs. And the common problem? Value. We just couldn't understand how Porsche could charge this much for this little.

"We've owned other six-figure cars, and by and large, we give those price tags a pass because those cars felt like six-figure cars," wrote Rogers. "I generally agree with my colleagues: I think the Macan is relatively small, modestly powered, not all that special inside, and a great example of Porsche's nickel-and-diming pricing strategy."

"Our Macan is objectively a bad value," wrote video manager Will Kaufman. "We spent more than $80,000, and we don't even have a surround-view camera system. There are hard plastics and piano black around the cabin that just seem cheap (even if they're sturdy)."

The price is much harder to understand when you consider there are other great-driving electric SUVs — think Hyundai Ioniq 5 N — available for tens of thousands of dollars less. At the end of the day, if you told us this Macan 4 cost $70,000, that'd make more sense. But for nearly $100K as tested? This car is nothing but a bad value.

 

[Caraholic]

Couldn’t agree more test drove a 128k Macan turbo and it felt awfully cheap inside.

 

[Tooney]

Europe backtracks on ban of new combustion engine cars, in setback to tackling climate change

Plans to ban the sale of new combustion engine cars in the European Union by 2035 have been thrown into turmoil after pressure from car manufacturers.

On Tuesday, the European Commission proposed applying the ban, approved in 2023, to only 90% of vehicles, down from 100%. This means the remaining 10% of new cars made after 2035 could still be plug-in hybrid vehicles or those with internal combustion engines.

The move, unveiled by the EU’s executive arm alongside other measures to support the bloc’s car industry, represents a setback for tackling climate change, although the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said Europe remains “at the forefront of the global clean transition.”

“From 2035 onwards, carmakers will need to comply with a 90% tailpipe emissions reduction target, while the remaining 10% emissions will need to be compensated through the use of low-carbon steel … or from e-fuels and biofuels,” the European Commission said in a statement.

The proposal is likely to be approved by European lawmakers. Prior to the announcement, Reuters reported that Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, the largest party in the European Parliament, said the EU was planning to scrap the ban and indicated that he supported the new plan.

“The European Commission will be putting forward a clear proposal to abolish the ban on combustion engines. … It was a serious industrial policy mistake,” he said.

 

[AutoX]

Porsche Keeps Making Customers Pay For Trump’s Tariffs

Despite two previous price increases this year, Porsche's US sales are up 5.6 percent year to date

• Porsche confirms a third price hike in less than 12 months.
• Most models will rise between 1.2 and 2.9 percent in January.
• Buyers must take delivery by January 5 to avoid the increase.

Seems to be inline with their recent price increase in the last few years. Porsche will find reasons to increase MSRP with or without Tariffs.

 

[chun]

Seems to be inline with their recent price increase in the last few years. Porsche will find reasons to increase MSRP with or without Tariffs.

They want ferrari prices, with Macan volumes, while reusing the same design on their flagship car for 2-3 decades

I wonder if a customer that will pay 5x for a 911 that looks like any other 911 that sold hundreds of thousands actually exists, and if there are more than a handful of them. Curious why Porsche never thought to ask this question.

 

[Tooney]

Porsche to wind down charging network in tough China market

 

[daveo4EV]

Porsche = the Sony of the automotive world?

hmmmm - as i read this article -not a complete fit - but a lot of near misses in terms of what's happening with EV's and the lack of engagement on software…

https://stocks.apple.com/A3PhYQpC-TYqSEGhC_5VwSg

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth...bs-never-forgot/ar-AA1TiHdK?ocid=BingNewsSerp

I see Porsche following Sony down the "used to be the best" rabbit hole…in some ways

Before Apple Disrupted Everything, Sony Did It First. Steve Jobs Never Forgot.

 

[pjg03d]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/oth...bs-never-forgot/ar-AA1TiHdK?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of law, medicine, and filmmaking.

Ima stop you right there.

 

[69Mach390]

Gas might be a short win, but is a long term failure.

It's sounds like VW might be prime for some PE activity. that would be really sad.

Maybe, maybe not.

Being late to the EV game has proven to be the smart strategy. While other manufacturers have lost billions sticking their toes in the EV waters, those sitting on the sidelines have enjoyed nice profits on their gas powered and hybrid vehicles.

Yes, sometimes you have to lose money to make money, but the world has responded pretty strongly that they aren’t willing to buy EVs in the volumes and prices necessary to turn profits.

 

[SoccerMan94043]

Maybe, maybe not.

Being late to the EV game has proven to be the smart strategy. While other manufacturers have lost billions sticking their toes in the EV waters, those sitting on the sidelines have enjoyed nice profits on their gas powered and hybrid vehicles.

Yes, sometimes you have to lose money to make money, but the world has responded pretty strongly that they aren’t willing to buy EVs in the volumes and prices necessary to turn profits.

Regardless if Musk's claims are true or not this year, that the Model Y is even in the top 10 is astounding considering the damage he did to the Tesla brand in Europe in 2025: https://electrek.co/2025/12/31/elon...l-y-is-best-selling-car-world-serious-doubts/

Certainly most of what VW Group is experiencing is self inflicted considering both progress with Tesla and China:

 

[69Mach390]

Regardless if Musk's claims are true or not this year, that the Model Y is even in the top 10 is astounding considering the damage he did to the Tesla brand in Europe in 2025: https://electrek.co/2025/12/31/elon...l-y-is-best-selling-car-world-serious-doubts/

Certainly most of what VW Group is experiencing is self inflicted considering both progress with Tesla and China:

Tesla has held a 50% or so market share in EVs in the US for a long time.

They’re the PROBLEM for competitors, not the example to follow. It’s taken a 50% market share and government subsidies to barely turn a profit. This isn’t a business model that competitors can nor should try to replicate.

Instead of that nonsense, car manufacturers can easily look at their own books and determine which models sell well and sell at a profit.

It’s what Ford did and it’s why they killed their all electric F150 lightning as their gas powered F150 remains the number one seller by a long shot and turns a huge profit. Seems like a super easy business decision.

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