12 hours Ago By Chris Randall
“With the electric model series in the 718 segment, we too cannot avoid the issue of the availability of high-performance cells,” Porsche and VW Group CEO Oliver Blume told the German publication . The company is currently developing alternatives in this area. “That’s why we will now launch the vehicle after the electric Cayenne.
” The delay is also indirectly confirmed by the company in the press release for the annual report for 2024: “Following on from the all-electric Cayenne, Porsche will introduce the all-electric sports cars in the 718 segment,” it says – although no year is given, but as the two-seaters were announced several times for 2025 and the was not to be presented until later, it is clear that this is a significant delay. Although there were already reports at the that the suspected delay to the electric 718 successor might actually materialise (also due to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Northvolt in the USA, which was filed in November), there are also said to have been problems with an unspecified component in the powertrain. In his latest statement, however, Porsche CEO Blume leaves no doubt that it is all about the availability of the battery cells.
However, other electric vehicles are also currently being re-planned – at present, only the electric Cayenne, which is planned for 2026, is set to be the second PPE model after the Macan. The K1 project, which was supposed to result in an electric seven-seater SUV from the Leipzig plant as the new top model, will probably not come as planned in 2027 – although the construction work for the company’s own production hall is already well advanced. “The all-electric K1 will come.
We are currently calibrating the sequence of models and analysing the markets. Depending on this, we will decide on the timing of the market launch,” Blume is quoted as saying by . Porsche had embarked on a risky single-sourcing strategy for the 718 successor, in which an important and irreplaceable component is sourced from just one supplier – in this case, the battery cells.
With its smallest model series, Porsche faces the challenge that the two-seater sports car does not offer much space for large battery packs. However, if the car is to be as compact as its predecessor (in order to maintain a certain distance from the brand icon 911) and at the same time offer high performance and range, not only efficient packaging but also battery cells with a high energy density are essential. Porsche had therefore relied on the announced Northvolt cells.
Following the episode surrounding the V4Drive cells from Varta for the 911 GTS t-hybrid, this is the second case in recent times in which Porsche has encountered problems with the single-sourcing approach. Since Northvolt was unable to raise sufficient financing even with the restructuring proceedings under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, which were launched in November, despite initial restructuring successes. As a result, the Swedish parent company and the subsidiaries registered in Sweden also filed for insolvency on Wednesday.
A trustee has now taken over and is taking the next steps: to reorganise or even (partially) sell the company. The subsidiaries in Germany and Canada are not insolvent. (in German), (annual report).
