The latest rumours from Stuttgart suggest that Porsche has decided to drop its first electric car, the Taycan, from the range. 

We know that the Volkswagen Group is in a certain amount of peril following stories that suggest up to 50% of models are set to get the axe, swathes of factories face closure and whole brands could be up for sale… 

But it doesn’t feel real until one of the cars you’re actually quite fond of falls under threat – like the Porsche Taycan, the car that proved posh European carmakers would be able to make properly decent EVs. 

Sure, it’s been on sale since 2020, but the COVID-19 years don’t count so it feels like it was only launched yesterday and the latest rumours from Stuttgart suggest that it’s going to be phased out at the latest by 2030 and might not be replaced. 

For what it’s worth, Porsche has responded to the rumours by saying that there are no “short-term plans” to drop the car, whatever that means. The Taycan last had a thorough update in 2024.

German news magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported at the weekend that Porsche’s works council, the body through which it negotiates with the unions, had agreed that production of the Taycan would be phased out. 

The economics are reasonably simple – sales of Porsche’s first electric car have slumped in the last couple of years, while the company’s electric SUVs are shifting in solid numbers and the stalwart 911 petrol sports car model has grown in popularity. 

Porsche is believed to be pivoting back towards petrol in its sales strategy under new boss Michael Leiters, formerly of McLaren and Ferrari. 

If the Taycan gets the chop, it’ll almost guarantee the demise of the Audi e-tron GT, both of which share a platform that hasn’t spread to any other models in the Volkswagen Group (check out Ginny Buckley and Tom Ford putting both cars head to head below). The Taycan will still be a great used buy, mind. 

A small reprieve could come in the form of the Panamera and Taycan ranges being mashed together with a range of petrol, PHEV and electric powertrains on offer, though at this point we imagine making the business case for any new model within the VW Group must be tough. 

There are still a few years left on the clock, but it seems like the end of an era is nigh…