The facts about who owns car maker Porsche

Who owns Porsche?

All you need to know about who controls Porsche AG

March 29, 2024

Most people know that Porsche is named after its founder, Ferdinand A. Porsche. But who owns one of the best-known carmakers in the world today?

On the surface, the question ‘who owns Porsche?’ looks simple enough. But its ownership group combines private, public and state-owned entities so needs explaining.

When was Porsche founded?

You can trace the history of Porsche as a commercial entity right back to 1930. That’s when the company received its first order. This was to manufacture individual components for a Hesselmann engine, a cross between a diesel and a gas engine. The order was placed in the ledger book opened by Professor Ferdinand Porsche in his design office. Less than a year later, on 25 April 1931, Professor Porsche had officially entered his new company in the commercial register as ‘Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH, Konstruktionen und Beratung für Motoren- und Fahrzeuge’. It was based in Stuttgart, Germany, where Porsche remains headquartered to this day.

The new company was involved in many different aspects of engineering, with the first five projects started in St Ulrich, Austria, close to where the Porsche family came from. But all the following projects would be delivered from the offices of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH in Stuttgart. The company worked on a range of technical projects for clients and was able to charge licensing fees and royalties for its patented products.

Four Porsche family brothers as boys in Porsche 550 Spyder — Ferry Porsche, son of Porsche founder Ferdinand A. Porsche, had four sons. They are pictured here, in 1953, sitting in a 550 Spyder: (from l-r) Hans-Peter, Ferdinand Alexander, Gerhard and Wolfgang Porsche | PHOTO: Porsche

However, it was not quite the Porsche company that we know today. In fact, Ferdinand Porsche at the time said that his company had no intention of making cars. But following the end of World War II, that would all change. In fact, just three years after the war’s cessation in 1948, and with the influence of Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry now very much to the fore, the first-ever Porsche sportscar began to take shape in a converted sawmill in rural Austria.

It was Ferry’s contention that there wasn’t a car being manufactured anywhere that he would buy. So he decided that he’d design one himself – and that Porsche itself would make it. That car, the 356, would change what many people thought a sportscar could be. It was agile, comfortable and reliable. These are qualities that Porsche still values to this very day. The Porsche company as we now know it – a car manufacturer synonymous with making the finest sportscars and racing cars – began with the 356. Today it’s one of the most famous brand names in the world.

Is the Porsche family involved in Porsche today?

In 2023, Porsche celebrated 75 years of making cars. But it will mark 100 years as a company in 2031. Throughout its near 100-year history, the Porsche family has been involved with the running of the company. It all began with its founding father, Ferdinand A. Porsche, before the privilege of running the company passed on to his son Ferry. Today, Ferry’s son, Dr Wolfgang Porsche, is chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Holding SE and Porsche AG. Many other members of the Porsche family have been involved in the business over the years, not least Dr Wolfgang Porsche’s elder brother, Ferdinand ‘Butzi’ Porsche, who designed the 901, which lay the groundwork for the 911.

Dr Wolfgang Porsche and son Ferdi Porsche sat in sportscar — Dr Wolfgang Porsche (at wheel of car) is the youngest son of Ferry Porsche. Pictured here next to his own son Ferdi Porsche, Dr Wolfgang is today chairman of Porsche SE and Porsche AG | PHOTO: Porsche

We also need to mention the Piëch family here too, who became intrinsically intertwined with the Porsche family through the marriage of Louise Porsche – daughter of Porsche founder, Ferdinand Porsche – to Anton Piëch in 1928. Their son (also called Ferdinand) would become a significant figure in the automotive industry for many years as chairman of the Volkswagen Group, having started his career working for Porsche. Today, the Porsche-Piëch family own the controlling interest in Porsche SE. Which all brings us neatly onto…

Who owns Porsche today?

The Porsche-Piëch family, as we’ve discovered, is still a significant presence in the running of the Porsche business, but there are other significant players in the ownership group of Porsche today. However, Porsche remained a Kommanditgesellschaft, or limited company, ran by the Porsche family, until 1972. It was at this point that Ferry Porsche changed the company’s status to that of a Aktiengesellschaft (AG for short), or public limited company. This saw an executive board being formed, whose members were from outside the Porsche family. Meanwhile, a supervisory board which was made up of family members was created at the same time.

Aerial photograph of Porsche AG factory and HQ in Zuffenhausen — Ferdinand Porsche first set up his company operations in Stuttgart in 1931. Porsche has called the city home ever since | PHOTO: Porsche

So, who owns Porsche today? Volkswagen Group – a company whose relationship with Porsche goes back to the 1930s, when Ferdinand A. Porsche was the lead engineer on the Beetle project for the VW – owns 75 per cent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (the full title of the Porsche company in charge of vehicle manufacture).

However, the controlling stake in Volkswagen Group AG itself (31.9 per cent of subscribed capital, 53.3 per cent of the ordinary shares) is held by another company, Porsche SE. Porsche SE is controlled by the Porsche-Piëch family. Porsche SE also own 12.5 per cent of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, while 2.5 per cent is owned by the Qatari Investment Authority (as of March 2024).

Porsche AG board members Lutz Meschke and Oliver Blume — Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange for the launch of the Porsche IPO in September 2022 | PHOTO: Porsche

Porsche AG and its initial public offering

In 2022, Porsche AG launched an initial public offering (IPO) of shares to allow members of the public to buy shares of its stock for the first time. At the time of its listing at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on 29 September 2022, it was Europe’s biggest IPO by market capitalisation. As a result of the IPO, Porsche SE and the Porsche-Piëch family now hold direct ownership over the Porsche brand.

Consumption and emission information

Taycan (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 20.0 – 16.7 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A. Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 22.0 – 19.1 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A. Taycan 4S Sport Turismo (WLTP): Electric energy consumption combined: 21.8 – 18.5 kWh/100 km; CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A.

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