The widespread parts supply shortage born from the Ukraine conflict may be forcing Porsche to suspend its production lines this month.
An allegedly leaked internal memo to Porsche employees shows manufacturing of the 718 Cayman and Boxster, 911 Carrera and GT models, Macan, Cayenne, Panamera, and Taycan will all be suspended in March.
While a spokesperson for Porsche wouldn’t comment on the memo specifically, they confirmed to MOTOR some production was being halted – though the dates provided do not align with the reportedly leaked internal document.
Read an article on factory closures due to the continued supply chain pressure in the automotive space. Shortly after, a friend in the loop sent me this… what this could mean for Porsche production… imagine VW Group, BMW, Mercedes’… 😳 used cars about to get even more pricey! pic.twitter.com/O263JS3O7h
— Caleb J Schroëter (@calebjschroeter) March 3, 2022
According to the latest official information provided by Porsche, the 718 and 911 are not currently affected by the parts shortages, while Cayenne production in Bratislava “is being maintained in the current week as well”.
“On the other hand, the company will be forced to suspend Taycan production in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen from Wednesday afternoon (March 9), initially until the end of next week (calendar week 11),” Porsche said.
“Production in the Porsche plant in Leipzig will start up again in reduced operation in the coming week due to an improved supply situation. The further steps take place in an orderly process. In the coming days and weeks we will operate on a short-term basis and continuously reassess the situation.”
Given the rapidly-evolving situation in Europe, it’s possible the allegedly leaked memo is the latest plan from the company’s production team, and has not yet filtered down through the rest of the company.
The headaches continue throughout Porsche’s parent company Volkswagen Group, with orders for a number of plug-in hybrid Volkswagen models being paused in Germany until further notice.
“Our plug-in hybrids are highly sought after, leading to [a] high order backlog we are working through,” a spokesperson for Volkswagen told Reuters.
“Due to this demand and limitations in supply of semiconductors, we cannot take any further orders for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle models in Germany.”
Along with a growing list of other carmakers, Volkswagen and Porsche have stopped vehicle exports into Russia in recent weeks, as well as announcing reducing new-car output due to supply-chain issues caused by the Ukraine conflict.
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