Portugal Is a Porsche Phenomenon in 2025 on Auto Rádio

Over the past few years, Portugal has turned into something of a haven for Porsche, posting figures that would seem hard to believe at first glance - especially in a country where purchasing power still sits below the European average.

That momentum carried into the first quarter of 2025, when Porsche delivered more than 500 cars in Portugal. That represents growth of almost 55% compared with the same period in 2024. It is a striking contrast with the brand’s worldwide performance, where sales dropped by 8% - largely as a result of China.

Portugal has therefore become a bit of an outlier in Porsche’s global story. To explore why this is happening, we invited Nuno Costa, Marketing Director at Porsche Portugal, onto Auto Rádio - a Razão Automóvel podcast supported by Pisca Pisca.

Porsche is more than the 911

“Porsche is the 911 and nothing else” is an old saying that no longer reflects reality. Today, Porsche’s range spans sports cars, saloons and SUVs - and it is the SUVs, namely the Cayenne and Macan, that are the brand’s true sales champions.

It is also no longer a company that sells only combustion-engined cars. Porsche offers plug-in hybrids and fully electric models too. In fact, the most surprising point Nuno Costa shared on this episode of Auto Rádio was that 50% of Porsche’s total sales in Portugal are 100% electric. In other words, Taycan and the new Macan - and neither model benefits from the tax incentives granted to companies.

The second-generation Macan, which is electric-only, has been a hit in Portugal and is currently Porsche’s best-selling model in the country. Since it was launched in October last year, it has already recorded more than 300 sales.

The remainder of the sales mix is split between plug-in hybrids, with a 28% share, and combustion-only models, with 22%.

Porsche has undeniably had to temper its global electric ambitions - “the world doesn’t move at the same speed”, Nuno Costa acknowledged - yet in certain markets, such as Portugal, electric models are already the top sellers. In the end, what matters is giving customers the ability to choose: “each consumer must be sovereign”, said the Marketing Director at Porsche Portugal.

Who gets to buy the most exclusive Porsches?

While Porsche’s Portuguese sales performance sparked the conversation with Nuno Costa on Auto Rádio, Diogo Teixeira and Miguel Dias used the opportunity to satisfy their curiosity about access to the brand’s most exclusive machinery - thinking about future purchases, who knows…

We are talking about cars such as the 911 ST or the 911 Dakar: special, limited-production versions of the German icon. Who is actually able to get hold of these models? Nuno Costa helps demystify how the selection process works.

There is more to watch and hear in this Auto Rádio episode about Porsche, from the company’s motorsport involvement to brand events that put customers on track, as well as a holistic view of what the car’s future should be - which may also include synthetic fuels.

See you on Auto Rádio next week

There is no shortage of reasons, then, to watch or listen to the latest episode of Auto Rádio - and it returns next week on the usual platforms: YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.