With Porsche's first fully electric vehicle set to arrive soon on the market, it seems like a lot of Tesla owners are thinking of making the switch, according to the CEO of Porsche North America.
Tesla owners have shown more interest in the all-electric Taycan than any group outside of current Porsche owners, president and CEO of Porsche North America Klaus Zellmer told CNBC during the Los Angeles Auto Show late last month.
“They currently drive a Tesla, they’re open to experiencing something new now,” he said. “We’re very happy about that.” He's referring to what the company is calling customers who have expressed "sincere interest" in the Taycan, meaning they've placed a deposit or visited a dealer showroom, not just those who requested more info or updates online.
“We were actually surprised right from the get-go to see Tesla be so much in the foreground as a potential source of business,” said Zellmer. Tesla fans are known for their intense following of and devotion to the electric automaker.
After Porsche and Tesla? Few surprises, with Zellmer telling CNBC that Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz owners were on the list. Current Porsche owners made up about half of the potential buyers for the new high-performance electric sedan.
Porsche isn't saying exactly how many buyers have put down an online registration for the car so far, but the company said this summer that the number of pre-orders for the Taycan had topped 30,000.
The Taycan is more expensive than the Model S, and can't match the Tesla's range, but it is a much newer vehicle than the now seven-year-old Model S, and, well, it has Porsche's extensive motorsports heritage behind it.
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