Is Porsche in turn threatened?

In one week, the Volkswagen group has drastically reduced its official presence at the highest level of motorsport. On October 26, it was Audi Sport which saw its LM P1 Endurance program cease at the end of the year after the Bahrain final (November 19), while the Wolfsburg firm confirmed this Wednesday the end of the involvement of its Motorsport division in the WRC after the Rally from Australia (November 18-20).

Two decisions taken against the background of the Dieselgate affair, which is “poisoning” the daily life of the German group, with potential record fines (around 15 billion euros), particularly in the United States, which require carrying out significant savings.

Au vu des récentes annonces, la logique veut de se poser la question de l’avenir de Porsche, autre programme d’envergure en Endurance, both in the LM P1 and GT categories. However, the competitive situation of the Zuffenhausen firm remains less worrying. On a sporting level, Porsche recalled its involvement in WEC before the Shanghai round this weekend.

“Porsche will compete in the 2017 season as planned, and, so far, has gained a huge advantage in terms of knowledge and innovation for production cars in the LMP1 programs, which particularly applies to the 24 Hours of Le Mans." is thus mentioned in the press release presenting the Chinese round of the World Endurance Championship. Furthermore, Porsche is preparing to present, in mid-November, its new 911 RSR which will evolve both in GTE in WEC and in GTLM in IMSA in the USA.

Finally, on the financial level, the Stuttgart manufacturer displays health that should be highlighted in the accounts of the Volkswagen group. With sales up 3% in the first half of 2016, compared to the same period twelve months earlier, the brand has a positive impact on the balance sheet.

Enough to protect Porsche in a sense from the fate reserved for Audi and Volkswagen in competition by the VW group, led, remember, since September 25, 2015, by Matthias Müller, until then president of Porsche, and appointed just a few days later the revelation of Dieselgate.