• Porsche: Two Million Vehicles at the Leipzig Plant
It's celebration time at Porsche's Leipzig plant in Germany. Two weeks after the automaker launched the new-generation Panamera sedan, the compmany marked the production of the two-millionth vehicle at the site, a 2024 Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid.
That's a lot of cars, but it's even more impressive when you consider that the plant, which today produces the Panamera and Macan, only opened its doors in 2002. Production there started modestly, but over the years it has gradually expanded to become a very important centre for the automaker.
When Auto123 visited the plant last October, a huge area was being prepared for expansion. The Panamera has been built in Leipzig since 2009. In 2016, production of the second-generation model began, and the expansion included the addition of a paint shop and another for body production.
"The expansion and move to a complete plant was a revolutionary decision for the location. As a complete plant, we manufacture models in their entirety, from body-in-white to final assembly. This has laid the foundation for new automotive projects and further growth," says Gerd Rupp, chairman of the plant's board of directors.
Today, the plant is impressive and state-of-the-art. It has also become an important economic engine for the region, employing some 4,400 people. The facility also includes a rail testing centre.
Other notable fact: the Leipzig plant will be able to assemble vehicles with combustion engines, hybrid configurations or even all-electric models on a single assembly line.