On April 30, The Press center of Porsche issued a letter to the owners of Porsche China, apologizing for the rights protection incident caused by the reduction of steering column.

Porsche China said the global semiconductor capacity shortage was still very serious. The continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the widespread spread of omicron virus, has made the situation worse. We are dealing with an extremely volatile and challenging situation. We are following closely and assessing developments on a daily basis to minimize the possible impact.

After much coordination at Porsche headquarters, it is still unable to estimate when the chips related to electric regulation will arrive.This means that previous reinstatement and replacement plans will leave customers in constant uncertainty and waiting indefinitely.

As a result, at the end of the first quarter of this year, Porsche headquarters was forced to cancel plans to replace steering columns with electric controls. Porsche China authorized all Porsche centers in China to actively inform and communicate with customers. As we know, each Porsche center has communicated with relevant customers gradually and in batches.

We fully understand the disappointment of the affected customers and their willingness to express their opinions. To this end, we have quickly set up a task force led by Porsche Headquarters and Porsche China, together with relevant suppliers, to study all possibilities and hope to find a solution as soon as possible. We share the concerns of affected customers.

However, since March this year, the sudden recurrence of the epidemic in China and relevant prevention and control measures, as well as the ongoing epidemic abroad, have increased the difficulty of communication and coordination. We also hope to ask the customer's understanding and give us more time to try to find a solution.At the same time, we will proactively communicate with each of the affected customers, together with authorized Porsche dealers, to negotiate a reasonable solution.

It comes after a number of owners complained that their Porsches had been rationed by the authorities for no reason. Originally, Porsche officials had promised to replace the car with a manual steering column due to a shortage of chips, and to upgrade the car to an electric steering column for free. Then the authorities changed their word that the upgrade would not be free, and millions of luxury cars were cut and only 2,300 yuan of vouchers were offered as compensation.

It is understood that Porsche, in the absence of the chips,Since the second half of last year, the steering column with electric adjustment function in some Porsche models sold has been replaced with manual adjustment steering column, and the steering column electric adjustment function will be restored free of charge when the owner is promised to pick up the car and other relevant chips are sufficient.

However, in February and March this year, porsche announced that it would cancel the replacement program and compensate customers with 2,300 yuan in after-sale vouchers because the chip problem was not resolved。

Many Porsche owners are unhappy with the move. On April 27, porsche TaycanCrossTurismo launched its first live online press conference in China. Many consumers entered the live online broadcast room and "swept the screen" for steering column problems.

But porsche's apology apparently didn't go down well with its owners.

According to the Economic Observer, some consumers said, "Porsche will have to compensate us for the cost."It was a bit of an afterthought. If it hadn't been for the owners, Porsche would have given us 2,300 vouchers, but Chinese drivers are not so easy to fool."

According to official Porsche data,In the first quarter of 2022, Porsche delivered a total of 68,426 new vehicles to customers worldwide. China is Porsche's largest single sales market in the world, with 17,685 new cars delivered in the first quarter.

The following is the full text of a letter from Porsche China to owners: