LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY

less deliveries to China( inc. Hong Kong) during 2025 to 42,000 units

“ We must therefore find a way to turn these challenges into opportunities for ourselves.” Leiters is not a man short of context for what he’ s walking into. Thirteen formative years at Porsche early in his career were followed by eight years as Chief Technology Officer at Ferrari, where he oversaw R & D, the supply chain and the expansion of a product portfolio that has consistently defied gravity in terms of desirability and pricing power. Most recently, as CEO of McLaren, he led a comprehensive restructuring while launching several new models. This pattern – arrive in complexity, impose clarity, leave with results – is at the heart of his career. That experience has crystallised into a clear set of operating principles: an unrelenting focus on the customer, cost efficiency as a baseline, not a response to crisis, and teams bound by shared vision and values.“ I have supported companies in growth phases and companies undergoing restructuring,” he noted at the press conference.“ I was able to gain experience in both strategy development and operational implementation,” setting out in no uncertain terms that he has done this before.

Value over volume The most immediate signal Leiters has sent to the market is a commitment to what Porsche calls its‘ value over volume’ principle – and a willingness to hold that line even where it hurts in the short term. In China, where the luxury segment is under severe pressure and the EV market has descended into a pricing war, Porsche is deliberately restraining supply. Dealer inventory is being managed tightly and the network, originally planned to contract from around 150 outlets to 100 by 2027, is now being reduced further to approximately 80 by the end of this year. It is a typically measured retreat rather than a rout.“ The long-term value of our vehicles is more important than short-term sales figures,” said Leiters.“ We will maintain this strategy even in a difficult market environment.” The company’ s philosophy is rooted as much in brand protection as financial engineering. Even through the turbulence of 2025, average revenue per vehicle rose to € 121,000 – € 4,000 more than the year before. Revenue fell less sharply than deliveries and the pricing held, a clear indicator that the brand, even under pressure, still commands a premium that Leiters intends to protect.

106 May 2026