Porsche Cars North America hit a very tiny stumble in the third quarter of 2021 as global automotive supply chains continue to be a cluster of problems with semi-conductor and delivery driver shortages and ports packed with ships waiting to unload. Even with all of these problems, PCNA only experienced a 1.7 percent drop in sales year-over-year for the third quarter of 2021 as compared to 2020. Keep in mind that Q3 of 2020 was spent pumping sales that had waned in Q1 and Q2, and if you look instead at year-to-date statistics, Porsche sales are up nearly 30 percent over 2020 and better even than the all-time record high of 2019. Porsche still managed to deliver 15,289 vehicles to P-car enthusiasts new and old alike all over this great country.
“Demand is as strong as we’ve ever seen – helped by being able to provide the most complete and attractive experience ever, from the range of fresh, relevant and desirable cars, to the ownership experience and level of personalization we now offer, and to the commitment and expertise of our dealers. It’s not one initiative, but many working in parallel – a great, global team effort,” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of PCNA. “We just saw this emotional connection confirmed by the latest J.D. Power APEAL Study of customer experience with a new car, which ranked Porsche as the number one premium brand for the third year in a row.”
All of the quarter’s deficits fall at the feet of the Macan (down almost 7 percent) and 718 (down a smidge over 30 percent) models. Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan, and 911 sales all eclipsed their Q3 year-over-year statistics. Consumers are still buying the heck out of Porsches, and the company is selling them as quickly as it can get them on the lot. It’s truly bonkers how fast these things are moving off the dealer lots, even with massive dealer price adjustments happening across the country on popular models (like the 911 GT3). I’m quite confident that Porsche could sell significantly more cars if there were any cars making it to dealer lots, particularly Taycans.
Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned sales declined 8 percent in Q3 from the same period a year earlier, to 7,071, for a total in the first nine months of 21,648 vehicles, up 7 percent from the third quarter of 2020.