Porsche will equip all electric vehicles sold in South Korea exclusively with Korean battery cells starting this year, according to a report by The Chosun Daily.
The move affects the Macan Electric, which until now has been fitted with battery cells from CATL. From the 2026 model year onward, vehicles sold in South Korea will use cells supplied by Samsung SDI, the newspaper reported.
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The Taycan and the upcoming Cayenne Electric already use battery cells from LG Energy Solution. The reported change therefore applies primarily to the Macan Electric in the South Korean market.
Porsche produces the battery-electric mid-size SUV at its Leipzig plant in Germany. Until now, the model has relied on battery cells from CATL’s German facility in Arnstadt, Thuringia.
According to The Chosun Daily, the decision was influenced by “market conditions and environmental factors in the sales region.” The newspaper added that “South Korean consumers are known for scrutinising the battery manufacturer when purchasing an electric vehicle.”
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Battery sourcing has also drawn political attention in South Korea. After a fire involving a Mercedes EQE in an underground residential car park in Incheon in 2024, authorities required carmakers to disclose their battery suppliers. Many manufacturers complied, and disclosure has since become common practice.
Porsche declined to confirm the report directly. “Please understand that we do not comment on potential suppliers as a matter of principle,” a company spokesperson said in response to an enquiry. The statement did not confirm or deny the reported change.
The Macan Electric currently uses a 100 kWh battery pack (95 kWh net) with prismatic NMC811 cells supplied by CATL. Depending on the variant, the WLTP range reaches up to 641 kilometres in the 250 kW rear-wheel-drive version and 591 kilometres in the 430 kW Macan Turbo. The 800-volt system enables charging from 10% to 80% in around 21 minutes at up to 270 kW.
With the Cayenne Electric, Porsche has adjusted its battery production approach. For the Taycan and Macan, supplier Dräxlmaier assembles battery packs from purchased cells and delivers them to the vehicle plants. For the Cayenne Electric, built at Volkswagen’s Bratislava facility, Porsche has established the Porsche Smart Battery Shop in Horná Streda, Slovakia, where it produces battery modules in-house using LG Energy Solution cells.
