It seems yet another (luxury) car maker did not get the "but it's the weather" memo. Following Mercedes record sales in January [9], Porsche has announced today that expects to hit a target of selling more than 200,000 sports cars next year, three years earlier than originally scheduled. As Reuters reports, Volkswagen-owned Porsche is entering the lucrative segment of compact SUVs with its new Macan model, which has already sold out about eight months of production ahead of its arrival at German dealerships on April 4. Wealth effect, of course, is all that matters... and the promise of higher minimum wages and a Maserati in every garage [10].
Via Reuters, [11]
Porsche expects to hit a target of selling more than 200,000 sports cars next year, three years earlier than originally scheduled, as the brand keeps pushing into sport-utility vehicles, Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said.
...
Volkswagen-owned Porsche is entering the lucrative segment of compact SUVs with its new Macan model, which has already sold out about eight months of production ahead of its arrival at German dealerships on April 4, sales chief Bernhard Maier said.
The Macan, which competes with BMW's X3 model and the Mercedes-Benz (DAIGn.DE) GLK, will replace the more roomy Cayenne SUV as Porsche's top-selling model next year, research firm IHS Automotive said, pegging 2015 Macan sales at 81,025 units compared with 70,055 for the Cayenne.
Porsche originally set the 200,000 sales goal for 2018 when parent VW is aiming to overtake Toyota and General Motors as the world's biggest carmaker. CEO Mueller has been saying for months that the goal could be met earlier.
Of course, as the luxury brands move 'down-market', management must balance cheaper costs (because who the hell can afford these) with "exclusive premium branding"...
"We must take those warnings (of over stretching the brand's identity) serious, one can't ignore them," Hueck told Reuters on Tuesday.
"We must ensure that the Porsche myth is preserved. Whether this is the case with 200,000 or 250,000 units is something we will have to look at," said Hueck, who also sits on the sports-car maker's supervisory board.
The Macan
[12]
But what about the weather that is apparanetly affecting sales of GM, Ford etc..?