The Porsche 911 Basically Prints Money, and That’s Why Porsche Can Sell the Taycan At a Loss For Now

The Porsche 911 is more profitable than the Ferrari F8 Tributo

The 911 isn't the only vehicle that generates big profits with low-volume sales, but it raises above a handful of iconic models.

For instance, the Ferrari F8 Tributo boasts an impressive 50-percent sales margin, but its total vehicle earnings within Ferrari are of only 17 percent. The same report says that the 911 also surpassed a couple of popular SUVs, namely the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the BMW X5. This is a big deal given that crossovers sell like hotcakes nowadays and it’s common knowledge that their profit margins are far from small.

Impressively enough, the 911’s profits remained high even when the 991.2-generation was still on sale while the 992 was on its way to dealerships. Outgoing generations face much lower sales when new cars are underway, but the 911 is one of those few models that break this rule. In 2018, Porsche sold more 911s than in 2017, despite having revealed the brand-new 992 model the same year.

Porsche 911 profits will help cover for the Taycan

The fact that the 911 is highly profitable right now doesn’t necessarily mean that Porsche needs bigger coffers for its money. The German firm recently introduced the Taycan, an all-electric four-door sports car that’s being sold at a loss for the time being.

Porsche spent $6.6 billion to develop and build a new factory for the Taycan, so the EV isn't expected to return profits until 2023.

So that’s three years in which Taycan production needs to be covered by profits from other nameplates, like the 911, Cayenne, and Macan. This also means that Porsche might not have the resources to develop the successor to the 918 Spyder we’re waiting for.

But just like the Cayenne saved Porsche from going under in the early 2000s, the 911 will probably keep the German firm profitable until the Taycan starts making money on its own.

Source: Bloomberg