Porsche reportedly cuts EV subsidiaries in corporate shake-up after Taycan Nürburgring record

Porsche is doing two very different things at once. It is still showing off what its electric cars can do on a racetrack, but it is also cutting back parts of the business built around its broader EV push. That contrast is the real story here. In the space of two days, Porsche celebrated a new Nürburgring record for the Taycan and then said it plans to discontinue three subsidiaries as part of a sharper focus on its core business. ### What actually changed? On May 8, Porsche said Cellforce Group, Porsche eBike Performance, and Cetitec are to be discontinued, with more than 500 employees affected. The company framed it as part of a strategic realignment and a push to refocus on the core business after already moving to sell its stakes in Bugatti Rimac and the Rimac Group. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Which businesses are getting cut? They are not random side projects. Cellforce was Porsche’s battery-cell effort in Kirchentellinsfurt. Porsche eBike Performance was working on electric-bike drive systems. Cetitec handled engineering and development services. In other words, Porsche is not shutting down EVs. It is pulling back from adjacent bets and internal support structures that sit outside the main car business. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### So is Porsche backing away from EVs? Not exactly — but it is getting more selective. Porsche said as recently as September 2025 that it was adjusting its product strategy and specifically supplementing the lineup with more combustion-engine models. Earlier, it had already said slower EV ramp-up and changed conditions in China and the U.S. were forcing a rethink of battery activities. Basically, Porsche still sees electromobility as important, but it no longer wants to fund every long-shot branch of that strategy at the same pace. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why does the Taycan record matter then? Because Porsche still wants the Taycan to carry the performance flag for its EV credibility. On May 7, a Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package and the new Manthey Kit set a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record in the electric executive-car category. Porsche test driver Lars Kern ran the 20.832-kilometer circuit in 6:55.533, more than nine seconds quicker than the previous class record holder. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### What is the Manthey angle? Manthey is Porsche’s track-performance specialist, and this was the first time Porsche used one of its circuit-focused kits on an electric sports car. The kit changes the wheel-and-tire setup, aerodynamics, chassis, and software tuning. That matters because it shows where Porsche still wants to spend — on brand-defining performance hardware that reinforces the core car business, not on every surrounding mobility experiment. (newsroom.porsche.com) That last part is an inference, but it fits the timing and the company’s own wording about focus. ### Why cut Cellforce after talking up batteries before? Because the market moved. In September 2025, Porsche had already narrowed Cellforce’s role to battery-cell research and development rather than a broader scale-up plan. The newest move goes further and says the subsidiary itself is to be discontinued. That is a big downgrade from “strategic battery asset” to “not core enough to keep as a standalone business.” (newsroom.porsche.com) ### What does this mean for Porsche’s EV strategy now? Think of it as concentration, not surrender. Porsche appears to be keeping the parts of electrification that directly support its cars — Taycan, future electric models, performance engineering — while stripping out ventures that are harder to justify in a slower, more expensive EV market. The company wants leaner operations and clearer priorities. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Bottom line? The record lap says Porsche still wants to win the EV image war. The subsidiary cuts say it is no longer willing to pay for every piece of the EV ecosystem around that ambition. For investors and suppliers, that is the signal to watch — Porsche is still electric, but more narrowly and more defensively than before. (newsroom.porsche.com) (investorrelations.porsche.com)