Porsche forced to raid Audi employees to meet soaring Taycan demand

Soaring demand for the Porsche Taycan EV has forced the performance car brand to borrow 400 employees from its Audi sibling company in an effort to ramp-up production, according to international reports.

It’s understood Porsche will retain the employees for at least two years, after orders for the Taycan far outstripped initial expectations.

According to US media, Porsche had expected to deliver 20,000 vehicles in its first full year, but was forced to double its production output to 40,000 after taking as many as 30,000 orders and pre-orders.  

The issue is production, with VW Group reports revealing just 1386 Taycans were actually produced in 2019. 

The Taycan is still on track for a December 2020 launch in Australia, with local buyers set to benefit from 2021 updates to the electric performance car, as well as slightly lower pricing, though the window still stretches from just under $200,000 to almost $340,000 for what will be Australia’s most expensive EV.

Among the new-for-2021 updates Australian-delivered cars will receive is the inclusion of a 22kW AC charger, as well as new preservation tech aimed at extending the life of the battery. The air suspension also now gets a function called Smartlift, automatically raising the ride height over speed bumps and driveways, or lowering it at freeway speeds.

The Aussie order books are open for the Taycan, with deliveries to commence in December. The local line-up starts with the $191,000 4S, steps up to the $269,100 Turbo and peaks with the $339,100 Turbo S.