Porsche to close all self-built EV charging facilities in China by March 2026

On December 22, Porsche China announced an adjustment to its exclusive charging services and said it will gradually cease operations of its self-built charging stations. Porsche’s self-built charging network will stop operating from March 1, 2026 

On December 22, the German luxury automaker announced an adjustment to its exclusive charging services and said it will gradually cease operations of its self-built charging stations, as part of a strategic realignment in the world's largest electric vehicle market. According to a notice sent to users, Porsche’s self-built charging network will stop operating from March 1, 2026, affecting about 200 charging stations, the automaker said. 

Porsche-exclusive fast charging stations, including all Porsche-owned high-power DC fast-charging stations, will be discontinued and progressively removed from the charging maps in the Porsche App and Porsche WeChat mini program. 

Porsche said the adjustment applies only to its exclusive charging scenario. Other charging options will remain available, including chargers installed at Porsche Centers (dealerships), Porsche Destination Charging stations, and third-party charging networks integrated into the Porsche charging map. 

Porsche explained that changes in the market environment and evolving user charging behavior have reduced the role of high-power self-built charging networks in daily mobility, making an “optimization adjustment” necessary. 

In recent years, luxury automakers including BMW and Mercedes-Benz have also scaled back their proprietary charging networks or shifted toward partnership-based models. High capital intensity, heavy asset structures, and long payback cycles have made charging operations difficult to justify as efficiency-driven assets for traditional automakers. 

With the exception of companies such as Tesla and NIO, which treat charging infrastructure as a core differentiator closely tied to user experience, most automakers have struggled to build lasting competitive advantages in this area. 

Porsche emphasized that the charging service adjustment does not signal any retreat from its electrification strategy. The brand continues to advance its battery-electric product roadmap, including the upcoming all-electric Cayenne. 

Porsche entered the Chinese market in 2001 and subsequently experienced multiple years of sustained sales growth. In 2015, China become Porsche's largest single market globally. By 2021, its sales in China peaked at 95,671 units. 

Amid China's rapid automotive electrification shift and the launch of numerous domestic luxury models, Porsche's sales have faced significant pressure. In the first three quarters of this year, Porsche delivered 32,195 vehicles in China, a 26 percent decrease compared to the 43,280 units delivered during the same period last year. 

Following declining sales, Porsche announced plans earlier this year to reduce its sales network in China, aiming to scale back to about 100 locations by 2027. Last month, Porsche opened its first integrated R&D center outside Germany in Shanghai’s Hongqiao central business district. 

The 10,000-square-meter facility, operational since early November, is designed to accelerate local innovation under the company’s “In China, for China” strategy. “The Shanghai R&D hub is already delivering results. Its first major achievement is a next-generation, China-exclusive infotainment system, set to launch across several Porsche model lines starting mid-2026,” the company said in a statement. 

The retrenchment on the charging network comes as Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume recently acknowledged that Porsche‘s traditional business model — manufacturing exclusively in Germany and exporting globally — has become untenable. “We still export 100% of our products from Europe,” Blume said in a recent interview. “Now, the luxury car market in China has shrunk by more than 80% in a short period, and the United States faces high tariff barriers.” 

With those two markets representing more than half of global sales, Porsche recorded an operating loss of $1.03 billion in the third quarter, erasing nearly all profits generated earlier in the year. Group operating profit plunged to 40 million euros in the first nine months of 2025, down from 4.04 billion euros a year earlier. Operating return on sales collapsed to 0.2% from 14.1%. 

“The reasons for this are the extraordinary expenses associated with the realignment of the product strategy; the challenging market conditions in China, especially in the luxury segment; the ‘one-off’ effects relating to battery activities; and organisational changes,” Porsche said when reporting financial results in October. “In addition, increased expenses from the US import tariffs also had an impact.” 

Blume ruled out exiting China and said Porsche is exploring an electric sports car designed exclusively for Chinese buyers — a departure from its one-size-fits-all global approach. “Volkswagen Group can provide local production for this,” Blume said.