Your Next Boxster May Not Be Built By Porsche

It’s been a tough two years for the world’s automakers. After being hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the resultant chip crisis and supply chain issues have wreaked havoc on the industry. Despite strong demand, companies are struggling to get vehicles out of factories quickly enough. And we’re not just talking about the mainstream brands, either – even Porsche is struggling to meet demand.

As such, the brand has announced it will relocate overflow production of the 718 Boxster and Cayman to the Volkswagen Group’s facility in Osnabruck, Germany. “The multi-brand plant in Osnabruck has already been a proven partner in our Porsche production network in the past,” said Porsche’s Albrecht Reimold.

Production is scheduled to take place from the middle of next year, with Porsche noting this relocation won’t affect the employees in Zuffenhausen. This all has to do with meeting the strong demand the sports car maker is currently enjoying. Last year was Porsche’s best-ever year in terms of sales. In 2021, the company delivered a staggering 70,025 vehicles, which represents a 22% increase over 2020’s figures.

The automaker suffered a setback when the Felicity Ace, a car carrier with more than 1,000 Porsches on board, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Having to rebuild vehicles that were already en route to customers must have been an irritating hindrance for an already-struggling production line.

This isn’t the first time that Porsche has employed the overflow production tactic. “Our colleagues were responsible for the overflow production of the Cayenne and the 718 Cayman. We are glad to be able to draw on these many years of experience and realize as many of our customers’ sports car dreams as possible,” added Reimold.

In the meantime, the Zuffenhausen factory will steam ahead at full capacity, building both the 911 and 718 models. The 718 will soon join the Taycan and the upcoming Macan EV as the company’s third electric offering. The company has said the Cayman and Boxster lineup will be fully electrified by the middle of the decade.

It may sound like heresy but, as Porsche points out, 40% of European sales came from plug-in hybrids or EVs. Thankfully, the 911 will retain a combustion engine for a good few years.