Women tend to understand the Porsche brand differently, its local boss says, because it is more than just cars, it's a lifestyle.
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Having more female owners who “really understand the brand” is important going forward for Porsche, its Australian boss says.
Speaking with Drive at a special Women with Drive event in New South Wales last week, Managing Director and CEO, Daniel Schmollinger, said Porsche wants to appeal more to the female community.
In markets such as China, he estimates, Porsche has an almost 50/50 split of male and female customers, while in Australia the number is much lower – closer to 25 per cent.
“Female customers for us in general are very important, they really understand the brand,” he told us.
“That’s not saying that the guys do not understand, but the women appreciate the design, they appreciate the materials, the possibility of individualising a car.
“We want to grow that base, not as a target, but as a result of offering products that are appealing to the female community.
“Diversity is always good, and we don't want to focus on males only. And with the colours and everything that we offer and the individualisation, I think we are appealing to females more and more.”
Twelve years ago, Porsche started its Women with Drive program, a celebration of successful females that enables them to connect, share their stories and grow.
Over those 12 years, according to Porsche, it has seen its female client base grow substantially.
“We want to offer a platform where like-minded females can share their stories, do things together and not only talk about valves or petrol or engines, but about broader things than just the car,” Schmollinger said.
The most recent event in Australia, ‘She’s Electric’, held along the picturesque southern coast of NSW, brought together four women, each highly successful in their own fields, to share their stories and how their values align with Porsche’s electric fleet.
Speaking on a panel were beauty entrepreneur Emma Lewisham, interior decorator Simone Haag, culinary innovator Sian Redgrave and editor and author Justine Cullen.
Highlighted at the event were the new electric Macan SUV alongside the Taycan.
Launched as an electric-only model in 2024, the Macan Electric has replaced the previously only petrol-powered car locally, though the latter is still available in other markets.
As previously reported by Drive, the electric version accounted for 40 per cent of all Macan sales in Australia between January and June 2025. Whether the brand will reintroduce a petrol variant at a later date due to cooling demand for fully-electric vehicles is as yet unknown.
But Porsche’s local boss suggested women could be a key part of the electric car’s success in Australia.
“Macan is definitely an important model for us for our female customers,” said Schmollinger.
“It hits the sweet spot. It’s, from a design point of view, very appealing. You have all the individualisation possibilities, and at the same time, it's not as big as a Cayenne, so it’s very handy to use in traffic or tight city streets.”
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A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
