SUVs might be Porsche’s bread and butter these days, but the 911 is still at the heart of the business. And we don’t just mean in a figurehead kind of way like Aston Martin or Jaguar dragging out a DB5 or E-type every now and then to boost the modern cars. No, the 911 is still doing some serious numbers.
The company’s 2023 production data reveals that Porsche moved 320,221 units last year, a modest 3 percent more than it did in 2022. Cayennes accounted for the lion’s share of those, deliveries totaling 87,553 vehicles (down 8 percent in part due to the model changeover), while the Macan was just a hair’s breadth behind on 87,355.
But 50,146 people took delivery of a 911, which is impressive considering the sports car is exactly that. And while it is practical by sports car standards, it’s still nowhere near as useful as a Cayenne or Macan for daily duties, meaning it’s more likely to be bought as a fun ‘extra’ car, and it’s also far more expensive than most of the SUVs, even in its most basic form. Even more amazing is the news that 911 sales for 2023 were up 24 percent on 2022’s numbers, despite the 992-generation car coming to the end of its life. Porsche will unveil the facelifted 992.2 car later this year.
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The electric Taycan, which struggled with parts availability last year, also posted double-digit gains, sales climbing by 17 percent, though the 40,629 total is still some way off the 911’s final score. The recently departed Panamera (the new one comes on sale this year) notched up 34,020 sales, but the 718 Boxster and Cayman duo could only muster demand for 20,518 cars, though that figure was at least up 13 percent on the previous season’s numbers. We’re looking forward to seeing what impact the arrival of the new electric Macan and 718s have on Porsche’s data in 2024 and 2025.
Looking at the number of deliveries by region shows positive gains everywhere, especially in overseas and emerging markets, which saw sales climb by 16 percent. The exception was China, where deliveries dropped by a massive 15 percent to 79,238 units, surely a worrying sign for Porsche. That makes North America, which took 86,059 cars, Porsche’s biggest market.