Porsche dealers say they have not received shipments of new vehicles from U.S. ports for several weeks as the automaker grapples with 25 percent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration in April.
Porsche Cars, like its Volkswagen Group stablemate Audi and other automakers, has been holding back vehicles before putting them through the customs process that would trigger the tariffs, multiple sources told Automotive News.
“They are not releasing the vehicles to us,” said a Porsche dealer who asked not to be identified discussing company business. “I think Porsche is waiting for the administration to arrive at a realistic tariff number.”
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Another retailer said deliveries could restart in May.
“Everything is being held,” the person said, as Porsche waits to see whether the administration negotiates a deal with the European Union for lower duties.
A Porsche spokesperson said April 28 that “vehicles are being released from our ports.”
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The spokesperson said Porsche delivered more than 5,000 vehicles to stores this month but did not say how many of those were imported before the 25 percent tariff took effect.
Porsche shipped additional inventory to the U.S. ahead of the April 3 tariff deadline and kept prices constant for orders produced in March, executives told analysts and investors during a call this month.
Porsche carries significant tariff exposure
Porsche is significantly affected by the tariffs, as every vehicle it sells in the U.S. is imported from Europe.
President Donald Trump implemented the 25 percent tariff on vehicle imports April 3. Automotive imports have continued to be taxed even after Trump paused most of his new tariffs April 9.
Porsche on April 28 warned that its profit margin this year would drop to as low as 6.5 percent, below a previous projection of at least 10 percent. The automaker said U.S tariffs hurt April sales and will affect performance in May, but it did not estimate any effects beyond those months.
Dealers said Porsche has not provided a timeline for when shipments of stock and customer-ordered vehicles would resume.
“We’re OK temporarily,” one of the retailers said. “The inventory levels that we have will take us through May.”
The eleventh-hour surge in vehicle shipments to the U.S. helped lift Porsche’s first-quarter sales 41 percent from the prior year, when supplies were constrained, and 8.3 percent above its record first quarter in 2023, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center.
Porsche expected to list tariff surcharge on window sticker
In an information vacuum, buyers awaiting their six-figure Porsches have turned to online forums such as Reddit and Rennlist to vent frustration and seek answers.
Posts indicate that customers have been told Porsche will not pass the tariff cost onto vehicles built as of March. However, a retail employee told Automotive News that it is not clear.
Porsche has not provided details on its long-term strategy to address the tariffs.
The company is expected to list the tariff-related surcharge as a separate line item on the window sticker rather than increase vehicles’ suggested retail price.
“Changing the MSRP multiple times makes it complicated for dealers,” one of the people said.
Bloomberg contributed to this report.
