Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Porsche said it will begin
selling Macan compact SUVs and delivering a $2.2 million supercar in China next
year as part of its expansion plans in the world’s largest automobile market.
Porsche, which counts the Cayenne sport utility
vehicle as its best seller in China, will build on that success with the Macan,
whose sales will begin in the second half of next year, Helmut Broeker, head of
China operations, said in a Jan. 18 interview. The carmaker also plans to
double its number of dealerships in the country to 95 in 2014 from 49 now.
The new products are part of Porsche’s plans to make
China the company’s biggest market by 2014. Porsche has benefited from a surge
in demand for SUVs -- the fastest-growing segment in China’s auto market --
with the Cayenne accounting for about 65 percent of the company’s deliveries in
the country.
“The fact that they’re bringing a smaller version of
the Cayenne SUV model is something that specifically in China will work quite
well,” said Klaus Paur, the Shanghai-based global head of automotive coverage
at research firm Ipsos. “It is catering to a segment that is fast growing. It
is also part of a trend of luxury brands making their cars more accessible to
the market.”
918 Spyder
Porsche is taking orders for the 918 Spyder hybrid
supercar, the first of which will be delivered to buyers in the first half of
next year, Broeker said, declining to give sales figures for the automaker’s
most expensive model. The car will cost 13.4 million yuan ($2.2 million) in
China when including import and consumption taxes, according to the company. “The 918 Spyder of course is a great product for
China,” he said. “There’s quite a lot of interest in China. But I don’t think
you will see many cars on the road.”
For this year, Porsche will open about 20
dealerships in cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Foshan . The China head
wants sales this year to be “few cars” above levels in 2012, when deliveries
rose 28 percent to a record 31,205 units, he said, declining to be more
specific.
The maker of the 911 sports car will also start
selling new editions of the four-door Panamera and Cayman this year. The
Panamera is Porsche’s second-best selling model in China after the Cayenne with
deliveries at about 9,000 units last year. The automaker has no plans to follow other foreign
automakers in manufacturing vehicles in China to avoid import duties as
customers expect their Porsches to be engineered and made in Germany, he said.
To promote its sports car image in China, the
company will open a 135-million yuan handling circuit and training center in
Shanghai in 2014, next to the city’s Formula One racetrack, according to the
company.
Unbelievable isn't it????
Someone try to convince me why one person like
those CEOs deserves such an obscene amount of money while others in their
company has to take the bus everyday!