The luxury sports car business in China under massive pressure. High import duties in the US. Enormous costs resulting from the decision to abandon the rapid shift to electric cars and hybrids, coupled with the U-turn to extend the production of combustion-engine vehicles. As a result, a decline in profit after tax of a staggering 91.4 per cent for 2025 compared to 2024. Porsche AG has certainly seen better days. Now the carmaker is even burying its last ebike project.
1. Idea for a genuine Porsche ebike implodes
2. Reasons for the closure of Porsche eBike Performance GmbH remain vague
3. What is next for Fazua?
4. Two joint ventures – two wind-ups
1. Idea for a genuine Porsche ebike implodes
Friday afternoon, just after half past three. Usually, at this time of day, just before the weekend, hardly any important news from the cycling industry trickles in. Not so on this Friday, 8 May 2026. A message pops up in the inbox with the subject line “Porsche eBike Performance Update”. Oh, something new from Porsche. Shouldn’t there be something concrete coming soon regarding their first in-house ebike drive? Following the cancellations by major bicycle manufacturers and the German Bicycle Industry Association (ZIV) for this year’s Eurobike, June in Frankfurt am Main would indeed offer a great stage where one might even be able to step into the spotlight more easily than in previous years. But no, the message announces the exact opposite. Porsche is ceasing operations at Porsche eBike Performance GmbH.
This is a real blow. Porsche is abandoning its project, launched with great ambition, to develop its own ebike systems and use them to equip both its own ebikes and those of other manufacturers. No specific date is given. Admittedly, the five lines explicitly dedicated to Porsche eBike Performance contain virtually no further details. It is therefore quite possible that measures to wind up the business will begin as early as this week.
2. Reasons for the closure of Porsche eBike Performance GmbH remain vague
When it comes to the reasons for this decision, Porsche resorts to generalities. Dr Michael Leiters, CEO of Porsche AG, speaks of a “strategic realignment” and a “refocus on the core business”. “This forces us to make painful cuts — including our subsidiaries”, he says. According to Porsche, market conditions for ebike drives have “fundamentally changed”. The statement leaves open exactly what changes are meant by this. The activities are being discontinued because this step is simply a logical consequence of “the strategic focus on its core business”.
Directly, this decision primarily affects around 350 employees. At the sites in Ottobrunn and Zagreb, they had been driving forward the development of a Porsche ebike system. Now, operations at both locations are to be closed.
3. What is next for Fazua?
One name completely missing from Porsche’s press release on Friday is Fazua. In January 2022, Porsche had acquired exactly 20 per cent of the brand’s shares – only to increase this to 100 per cent in June 2022 and take full control of the company. So how will the end of Porsche eBike Performance affect Fazua and everyone with an ebike fitted with this electric drive? Velobiz magazine asked the questions that Porsche itself could have answered. A press spokesperson for Porsche AG announced in the response that those affected could obtain both spare parts and services through the retail network. The company would provide details on this “in due course”.
Long-term service and spare parts guaranteed?
Fazua itself has now provided some additional information. In a statement to the press and retailers, the manufacturer emphasises that “support and the availability of Fazua products will continue without restriction”. Together with all stakeholders, the aim is to ensure that brands, retail partners and customers continue to receive “the quality and performance they are accustomed to”. These statements apply explicitly to all Fazua ebike systems currently in use in ebikes.
The statement does not specify exactly how this will be achieved once operations at the Ottobrunn site cease. Structures and processes for such a future are currently being developed. You and we are to be informed of the details – precisely – in due course. Nice wording. 😉 If you have any queries, you can contact your local Fazua dealer. Whether they’ll actually know any more, we’ll leave open.
You can, however, still expect updates for the systems. Apparently, there are a few improvements that Fazua already has ready and waiting, and these will be rolled out as planned. Once these have been exhausted, this will most likely also mark the end of further development.
However, Fazua’s announcement doesn’t sound like a complete farewell. The manufacturer even comments on its long-term outlook. It says it wants to continue offering a “high-quality riding experience” and guarantee “reliable system performance” as well as “a strong service and support infrastructure”. It will be interesting to see what concrete steps follow these still rather general terms.
4. Two joint ventures – two wind-ups
Porsche eBike Performance GmbH is one of two joint ventures that Porsche founded together with the Dutch company Ponooc Investment B.V. in August 2022. Behind Ponooc, in turn, is Pon Holdings, which owns bicycle brands such as Gazelle, Kalkhoff and Focus. From its headquarters in Ottobrunn, the company was set to develop and market a complete ebike system comprising motors, batteries and compatible software. At the time of the launch, Lutz Meschke, then Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG and Member of the Executive Board responsible for Finance and IT, expressed great optimism about the project’s prospects. “We see great potential for Porsche in the eBike segment. This is why we are consistently expanding our activities in this area.” Well, that expansion has now turned into a maximum downsizing.
The same fate has already befallen joint venture number two – P2 eBike GmbH. Based in Stuttgart, finished Porsche ebikes were once intended to roll off the production line there. Powered by an electric drive system made by Porsche. The original target for the first models had been set for the middle of this decade. To this end, the company temporarily recruited skilled specialists such as Moritz Failenschmid, Managing Director at Focus Bikes. However, this joint project between Porsche AG and Pon Holdings also came to an end on 31 December 2025. Incidentally, the then Managing Director of P2 eBike, Gudrun Schaller, told Velobiz: “The activities of the completely independent company Porsche eBike Performance to develop innovative drive systems for ebikes will continue without interruption.” Porsche is, after all, known for the rapid acceleration of its sports cars. The vision of becoming an innovative player in the field of e-mobility with ebikes has now vanished just as quickly.
Pictures: Porsche AG; Porsche eBike Performance GmbH