Porsche Rules Out U.S. Plant Even as Audi Bets $4 Billion

Audi decided it wants a $4 billion plant in the United States. Porsche, which shares a corporate parent, a platform or two, and even a factory with its sister brand, wants no part of it.

"As things stand, should an Audi plant be built in the U.S., we do not plan to relocate Porsche production there," financial chief Jochen Breckner told analysts on an earnings call. The question was fair game, given that Audi and Porsche already build the Q7, Q8, and the related Cayenne under one roof in Slovakia.

Breckner was blunt about why. "The business case would not be advantageous for us, given the complexity of our product range, our lower production volumes and the additional investment that would be required," he said.

That is the honest version. Audi plays a volume game dressed up as a premium one. Porsche plays a margin game, where the real money lives in options, packages, pricier models, and the occasional extreme one-off. Its buyers are chasing performance and a badge, not a sticker price, which means the 15 percent tariff Trump slapped on imported cars last year stings less for Porsche than it would for a brand fighting over every dollar.

Then there is the capital question. Porsche has been struggling to post a meaningful profit, though it did manage to grow third-quarter earnings despite falling sales. A multibillion-dollar American factory is not in the budget, and by Porsche's own logic, not in the plan either.

Porsche's turnaround strategy, dubbed Sportwagenschmiede 35, leans hard into exclusivity. Building higher-volume models in Slovakia and Malaysia already chips at the "made in Germany" expectation baked into the brand. A U.S. line would chip harder.

There is one loose thread. A U.S. official said Audi's American plans would include the Q7 and Q8, which share a factory with the Cayenne. That technically cracks the door open for U.S.-built Porsches. For now, Porsche is keeping it shut.

[Images: Porsche, Audi]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.