Porsche: ‘We do not consider Tesla to be a direct rival’

Porsche’s first mass-produced electric car, the Taycan, is a direct shot at the Tesla Model S. These sedans overlap in several areas, but the German firm said it doesn’t see the Elon Musk-led company as a direct rival.

“Although people like to play us off against each other, we do not consider Tesla to be a direct rival. With the Model 3, it’s clear that they are more aggressively targeting the volume segment,” explained Michael Steiner, the head of Porsche’s research and development department, in an interview with Automotive News Europe.

He makes a good point. Tesla, which has never been shy about its growth ambitions, sold about 367,500 cars in 2019, and most were the Model 3. Porsche, on the other hand, ended the year with 280,800 sales after posting a 10% increase. Its cars are, on average, more expensive than Tesla’s so transaction prices often cross the six-digit threshold. 

Positioned at the bottom of the Tesla range, the Model 3 carries a base price of $39,990. Porsche’s cheapest car is the Macan, which starts at $50,900, and its most affordable sedan is the Panamera priced at $87,200. We’ve occasionally heard rumors claiming Tesla will develop a smaller car, and Musk has hinted at a compact model, but Porsche has no plans to expand into Model 3 territory regardless of powertrain type.

Steiner highlighted another key difference between the two companies. Tesla is out to win the range race, while Porsche believes in “smaller, lighter, and therefore less expensive batteries that can be recharged more quickly.” He added his team has no intention of turning Porsche into the leader in electric range.

And yet, the Taycan inevitably landed in the same ring as the Model S. Spy shots published in 2017 confirmed Porsche benchmarked its electric sedan against the Model S and the Model X, which is hardly an unusual practice in the automotive industry. Tesla fired back in 2019 when it set out to humble the Germans on their home turf by sending a heavily-modified S to the grueling Nürburgring track to beat the Taycan’s time. An official record attempt hasn’t been made yet, though the company hinted its sedan is at least 22 seconds faster than Porsche’s.