Porsche Taycan outsells 911, Cayenne and Macan

The all-electric Porsche Taycan has done what nobody thought possible by swamping the Macan and Cayenne SUVs and the 911 sports car to become Europe’s most popular Porsche.

At least for a month, anyway.

While it’s unlikely to be a sustainable surge, the Taycan EV accounted for almost a quarter of all Porsche sales in Europe in August.

Its sales of 1183 units saw it leapfrog the 911 (1097 sales) and the Cayenne (711).

The Porsche Taycan also showed a worrying sign of possible cannibalisation, with sales of the combustion and plug-in hybrid Panamera slumping to just 278 according to Jato.

The Cayenne Coupe tallied 554 sales, while the Macan found just 646 homes in August.

Of course, the surge of the Taycan to the head of the Porsche table only works if the Cayenne and the Cayenne Coupe SUVs are split.

But there’s a word of caution for those bubbling with excitement about the EV awakening at Zuffenhausen.

“As August is the least representative month of the year, it would be unwise to make quick conclusions on the slowest month of the year's data,” automotive analyst and author of the European Electric Car Report, Matthias Schmidt, warned.

“There is no way it will stay that way for the foreseeable future, especially with the 95 per cent CO2 phase-in on the table this year.

“My logic says Porsche will push European Cayenne (especially high derivative versions that are as profitable as a winning lottery ticket) like crazy this year.”

That last part looks especially likely, given that the Volkswagen Group has done a deal with Chinese EV maker MG (yes, that MG) to use its EV CO2 credits as a hedge against a COVID-19 lockdown revisiting Europe at the end of the year.

It will mean Porsche will be able to throw as many high-margin Cayennes and 911s at the European car market as it likes, while BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be limited by the need to balance their CO2 levels to stay beneath the EU7 rules that will cost billions to breach.

“MG sales are minimal (it will achieve just over 10k BEVs this year). That's just a hedge in case of a second lock-down,” Schmidt said.

“My view also includes that it has to do with the prospect that the UK will not be part of the EU calculation from 2021, where the UK will go it alone when it comes to CO2.”

The Taycan, which arrives in Australia in December, hasn’t been as dominant across the year as it was in August, though it was Porsche’s third-best seller in the US in the same month, behind the Macan and the Taycan.