Porsche expects around 80 per cent sales in India from EVs by 2030

NEW DELHI: German luxury sports car maker Porsche AG expects around 80 per cent of its sales in India to come from fully electrified vehicles by 2030 and is lining up three such new vehicles to be introduced here early next year, a senior company official said on Tuesday.

The company, which sells a range of luxury sports cars and SUVs priced between Rs 88 lakh and Rs 4.

26 crore, is targeting GenZ customers, start-up entrepreneurs and women as it seeks to strengthen brand presence in India, Porsche AG Executive Board Member for Sales and Marketing Detlev von Platen told PTI in an interview.

Porsche, however, has no plans in the short to medium term to locally assemble its vehicles in India, as it is focusing on establishing and strengthening the brand in India.

“We announced that we want to be net carbon neutral by 2030. So, coming from a car manufacturer, which is more sporty-oriented, it was interesting to hear (that). By 2025, 50 per cent of our cars will be electrified, and by 2030, we expect close to 80 per cent of our cars to be fully battery electrified,” he said.

When asked if the global targets were also applicable for India or if they could be different, he said around the company’s global markets the transition from ICE (internal combustion engine) to electromobility is happening at different speeds, with some regions faster and some moderate, but “in the big scheme for Porsche, it will also apply to India”.

He said the adoption of electric mobility in India has been encouraging, giving the company confidence to do well in the segment.

“We were very happy to see that the (all-electric) Taycan, which was also introduced to India, became very successful and accounts for more than 10 per cent of our deliveries in India. We also see a good acceptance of the (EV) technology and the Indian consumers are very keen on brand strengths of luxury brands,” he said.

In 2022, Porsche delivered 779 cars in India, a 64 per cent growth year-on-year.

On Porsche’s future product pipeline for India, Platen said, “We launched our Taycan and the next is Macan, which is an important car for us in our product line and is expected to be in India in 2024. It will be a fully electric car. It will not be introduced later but it will be introduced as we are introducing the Macan to the world in the same period”.

Following Macan, he said, “We will have our first two-door sports car 718 fully electrified by the middle of this decade, and following the 718 is a Cayenne, which is very popular here in India, (it) will be completely a new model, which will also be electrified”.

Platen, however, said how fast electric mobility takes off in India would also depend on infrastructure developments in terms of charging systems and charging infrastructure.

Yet, the company is bullish about its future in India considering its target customer profile.

“We have roughly 4,000 customers in India, but we are also looking at young customers for the future, especially Gen Z. For us, creating this relationship, creating specific events, bringing our potential customers in contact with Porsche in a different way as a luxury experience is our focus,” he said.

Asked if the company is looking to tap start-up entrepreneurs, he said, “Absolutely. We are really looking at bringing Porsche in the context of the younger generation”.