[INTERVIEW] Porsche Korea is confident despite hypercompetitive EV market

Holger Gerrmann, CEO of Porsche Korea, poses for a photo at the Seoul Mobility Show 2021 on Thursday. [PORSCHE KOREA]

Next year will be one of cutthroat competition for premium electric models in Korea with an influx of new cars from high-end makers.

Porsche Korea, which shipped the second highest number of pure EVs in Korea as an imported carmaker, is confident that it can maintain its position by staying true to its identity as a sports car maker.

"All of our cars are built on sports car experience," said Holger Gerrmann, CEO of Porsche Korea in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the mobility show Thursday. " It's developed from racetrack cars. We will continue with this engagement with internal combustion engine and electric cars. We will continue to develop in this direction."

To maintain its leading position, Porsche Korea recently started sales of the Taycan Cross Turismo, a wagon-shaped electric model, that boasts more storage room compared to the existing Taycan all-electric sedan. An electric Macan midsize SUV is also expected in the future, according to Gerrmann, although no exact timeline has been confirmed.

"We are providing a lifestyle car suited for out-of-city experiences with the Taycan Cross Turismo," the CEO said.

Gerrmann, who has been leading the Korean unit of Porsche since September 2019, sees Korean customers as very enthusiastic about design while seeking innovation at the same time.

"When you see how much people care about the automobile and the industry and the detailed knowledge they have is impressive," Gerrmann said. "The appreciation for the details such as stitching in the car is as great environment for especially Porsche because that is what Porsche is about as well. We are all about the details."

When asked about additional investment in building EV chargers in Korea, Gerrmann said the company is going to invest more in building fast chargers around the country than originally planned, although no exact number or the size of the investment can be confirmed as of now.

On its plan of building 250 slow chargers in the country by 2025, Gerrmann said 100 of them have been already established.

Porsche Korea's sales goal for this year is more than 8,000 units. It has shipped out 7,723 units as of October.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]