Porsche responds to Ukraine conflict
One million Euros has been donated to provide emergency aid in Ukraine, while new vehicle deliveries to Russia have been halted
Porsche has given one million Euros (£830,000) towards providing emergency aid for people affected by the country’s humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Of that headline figure, 750,000 Euros (£623,000) will go to the UN Refugee Aid, the German partner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The agency has been active in Ukraine since 2014 and is a longstanding partner of the Volkswagen Group.
Porsche’s donation will be used to deliver crucial practical support on the ground. A further 250,000 Euros (£207,000) has been earmarked for donation to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, which supports children and young people in particular. The foundation will use the donation to help organisations such as SOS Children’s Villages, which is helping to evacuate children and families to safety and providing those who still remain in Ukraine with food and other essential supplies. In addition, Porsche employees are taking part in an internal appeal to make their own donations to UN Refugee Aid.
Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said: “We are deeply saddened by the events in Ukraine. Many people are in need of urgent aid through no fault of their own. We are therefore making a contribution and supporting organisations that help the population on the ground.”
Since the conflict unfolded Porsche has minimised communications, including via its social media channels, as a show of respect for those affected by the events in Ukraine. It’s also stopped the delivery of its vehicles to Russia, home to 26 Porsche Centres spread across 20 different Russian cities. In the past complete financial year a total of 6,262 vehicles were delivered to Russia, the most popular models being the Cayenne and Macan. Only 375 Porsche 911s were delivered to customers.
Production lines interrupted
The Russian conflict has also had an effect on Porsche production lines in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig, caused by a temporary parts shortage of wiring looms that are produced in Ukraine. In a statement to Total 911 Porsche GB said: “The degree of impact on our business activities in the affected countries is continuously determined by experts in a task force team. The supply chains for the Porsche plants are affected, which means that in some cases orderly production is no longer possible. The production in the main plant is currently not affected.”
It’s the second time in Porsche’s history that the Zuffenhausen plant has been forced to close outside of its usual summer shutdown, the first being in 2020 during start of the Covid pandemic. Ukraine