Auto industry: The current Porsche boss sees the sports car manufacturer as robustly positioned

The outgoing Porsche boss Oliver Blume sees the sports car manufacturer in a good position for the future after the realignment. In “Bild am Sonntag” he referred to having implemented a comprehensive realignment of structures, costs and product strategy in 2025.

There are significant investments in completely flexible drives: combustion engines, hybrids and electrics. In doing so, he had created a “very robust positioning for the future,” said Blume, admitting that Porsche was in a “massive crisis.” At the same time, he was optimistic: “There will be a clearly positive trend from next year.”

Blume, who has also led Volkswagen since September 2022, will be at the helm of the sports car manufacturer until the end of the year. He then moves completely to Wolfsburg. At the beginning of 2026, former McLaren manager Michael Leiters will take over the Porsche boss position.

Operating loss in the third quarter

Porsche reported a slump in profits on Friday and justified this with the realignment. The billions in costs for the combustion engine extension almost completely wiped out the profits of the sports and off-road vehicle manufacturer Porsche in the first three quarters.

From July to September, the sports car manufacturer, which is majority owned by the Volkswagen Group, even reported an operating loss of 966 million euros. The main stress factor is the management’s shift in strategy. It is expected that the low point will be passed this year and that Porsche will noticeably improve from 2026.

With a view to the chip delivery problems that also have an impact on the Volkswagen Group, Blume said: “The current chip crisis shows how fragile our world is. Unlike the last semiconductor crisis, it involves very simple chips that are used across industries and, above all, in cars. We in the Volkswagen Group are supplied in the short term. We need a quick political solution.”