Demand for the Porsche Taycan has been so sturdy that gross sales of the full-electric sedan have almost matched these of the long-lasting 911 sports activities automotive.

Within the first quarter Porsche delivered 9,072 Taycans, leaving it simply 61 items behind the 911, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary stated in an announcement.

The Taycan, Porsche’s first first purely battery-powered mannequin, debuted in 2019 as a competitor to the Tesla Mannequin S.

“Established fashions have supported this wonderful consequence together with the most recent additions to our product vary, above all the brand new mannequin variants of the all-electric Taycan,” Porsche gross sales chief Detlev von Platen said in the statement, referring to the model’s 36 p.c first-quarter surge. “We will look again on a really optimistic begin to the yr.”

The Taycan, which Porsche lately flanked with a extra spacious model, is a litmus check for the automaker’s expensive shift to electrical automobiles. Boosting EV gross sales with Porsche will probably be key to sustaining wholesome margins because the division is VW group’s greatest revenue contributor by far.

Porsche’s whole world deliveries rose to 71,986 automobiles within the first quarter, pushed primarily by demand in China, its largest market.

The compact Macan SUV was the model’s best-selling mannequin, forward of the bigger Cayenne. Porsche subsequent yr will launch a battery-powered model of the Macan, which is underpinned by a brand new platform for upscale electrical automobiles co-developed with sister model Audi.

Porsche stays optimistic about enterprise prospects this yr at the same time as a world scarcity of semiconductor elements disrupts manufacturing plans throughout the trade. Order books “proceed to develop very effectively,” von Platen stated.