After losing thousands of new units aboard the now sunken Felicity Ace transport vessel, it seems things are going to get worse for Porsche production as activities grind to a halt in Leipzig amidst the Russo-Ukrainian feud which will add to their growing waiting period for new models.
Porsche production in the Stuttgart based Zuffenhausen mega factory is currently up but the Leipzig factory in the East German state of Saxony ceased temporarily on the 2nd of March. While neither of these factories are in direct danger of the Russian invasion of their Ukrainian neighbours, supply chain issues already hampered by the shortage of semiconductors has warranted the German automaker halt production at some locations. This is further exacerbated by wire-harness shortages after manufacturers for brands like Volkswagen and Porsche who are based in Ukraine, ceased production in light of the ongoing conflict. This will potentially have adverse effects on all models in Porsche’s portfolio.
Management of the German automaker remain optimistic that the Leipzig factory shutdown will cease on the 11th of March after a Porsche spokesperson stated “further steps will 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.”
While Zuffenhausen has not had any adverse effects as severe as shutdown, this delay should hinder the manufacturers delivery timelines of certain models. Leaked information states that Macan and Panamera production at the factory will have ceased on the 3rd of March while Cayenne production ceased on the 7th. If things worsen, 718 production will stop on the 14th of March while the 911 with GT3 / Touring production halt three days later.
No further information on how long the shutdowns will last has been provided but this will certainly have an adverse effect on the existing shortage of vehicles the high-end brand has been suffering from.
Automakers have made concerted efforts to condemn the war by halting exports and ceasing operations in the Russian market. 1 million euros in relief to Ukraine was donated by Volkswagen Group, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis last week while other automakers have continued to do the same in the past few days.
