Porsche plans to move Cayenne production to Leipzig, pending wage cuts

Porsche is evaluating a relocation of its Cayenne SUV production from the Bratislava plant in Slovakia to the Leipzig facility in Germany. The move aims to address chronic under‑utilisation at both the Leipzig SUV plant and the Stuttgart‑Zuffenhausen main factory and to secure a long‑term perspective for the Leipzig site.

The shift is conditioned on German workers accepting noticeable pay reductions, as labour costs in Slovakia are significantly lower than in Germany. Negotiations with the works council are ongoing, but no official comment has been provided by Porsche.

The relocation is part of a broader restructuring that includes the termination of several hundred fixed‑term contracts, around 200 voluntary redundancies planned by August, and the possible temporary transfer of up to 400 staff to Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg site. CEO Michael Leiters cited weak sales in China, US tariff impacts and heavy investment in the company’s strategic realignment as drivers of the cost‑cutting programme.

If approved, the Cayenne would be assembled in Leipzig in all power‑train variants, helping to improve capacity utilisation at the German plant while potentially affecting up to 3,900 jobs across the group.