International Experts’ Conference At Leipzig Plant Deliberates On Future Programs

Stuttgart/Leipzig. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is girding itself for tomorrow’s challenges with a forward-looking quality strategy. The growth in vehicle production, an increasingly diverse model range and technical complexity, innovative drive concepts and discerning customers’ individual expectations of premium sports cars require the continuous development of all quality criteria. That is the goal of the international quality conference for which 150 experts from the sports car manufacturer’s development, production, purchasing and worldwide sales areas are meeting at Porsche’s ultramodern Leipzig plant.

“The degree of transparency of our customised lean production processes is one of the primary guarantors of our sporty vehicles’ extraordinary product quality”, said Wolfgang Leimgruber, Porsche AG Board of Management Member for Production and Logistics. Porsche production methods are constantly being refined within a continuous improvement process, collectively by all employees. They are held up as an example in expert circles worldwide – and are even transferable to totally different industries. Mr Leimgruber said: “The highly efficient Porsche principle gives us the flexibility to deliver on our customers’ many and varied individual equipment preferences while at the same time not merely maintaining quality levels but enhancing them. This cannot be taken for granted in the industry.”

The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer does however depend on reliable partners. “The only way in which we can reliably achieve our objectives is if we and our suppliers adhere to the same jointly determined rigorous principles. That is why we believe in long-term partners we can cultivate and develop close ties with. At the end of the day quality does not stop at the factory gate”, explains Mr Leimgruber.

Dr. Stefan Knirsch, Director of the Corporate Quality department is pursuing a holistic approach with his strategy: “For us a perfect and fascinating product goes without saying. But that is far from being the whole story. Of all people, customers who purchase a high value vehicle expect premium quality in all aspects. Only if each customer care experience is perfect; before, during and very long after purchase as well, can brand quality achieve its full credibility.”

This is why Knirsch rigorously ties all parts of the company into a quality concept with uniform standards and objectives. He does though value individual solutions when it comes to delivery: “We engage with our customers’ different cultural needs with an empathy that rivals the precision with which, for example, we tailor our sports cars to extreme climatic differences in our more than 110 markets around the world. That too is quality.”

Strong Demand For Cayenne And Panamera

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart again delivered significantly more cars to customers worldwide in June 2011. Deliveries increased by 29.5% compared with the same month the year before to reach 10,677 vehicles. The sports car manufacturer delivered a total of 60,659 new vehicles in the first half of the year, 36.8% more than from January to June the year before.

Bernhard Maier, Porsche AG Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing, signalled his satisfaction with developments: “We managed to increase our deliveries significantly again in June. This is accompanied by better-than-expected sales figures. The significant increase in new vehicle orders, especially for our front-engined sports cars, Cayenne and Panamera, also gives grounds for anticipating good sales figures in the coming months.

In June 2011 Porsche managed to grow in almost every region worldwide. The response from Chinese customers was again especially strong: Deliveries more than quadrupled to 2,423 compared with the same month the year before. The most successful model apart from the Cayenne off-road vehicle was the Panamera. With 2,546 vehicles Porsche announced growth of 18.9% for the US market in June 2011. In the domestic German market, the sports car manufacturer delivered 1,344 vehicles in June, broadly in line with the same month the year before. The diesel version of the Cayenne was especially popular. On the other hand were weaker sales in a number of European markets such as Great Britain, the Netherlands or Austria that translated into a 6.5% Europe-wide decline in customer deliveries in June. Conversely, the Russian market showed a significant increase last month with 63.6% to reach 216 vehicles.

The Cayenne again enjoyed especially strong demand. In June alone the sports car manufacturer sold 4,994 of the sporty off-road vehicles, 69.2% more than in the same month the year before. First half-year deliveries almost doubled to 30,055 compared with the same period the previous year. This included more than 2,000 Cayenne S Hybrid, making Porsche the global market leader for hybrid off-road vehicles. In June the Zuffenhausen company sold 2,318 Panameras, 14.1% more of the sporty sedans than in the same month the year before. The sports car model lines also slightly exceeded their previous year’s level in the reporting month. 2,015 vehicles of the 911 model line were delivered – up 1%. With 1,350 vehicles delivered, the Boxster model line, which also includes the Cayman, posted growth of 6.5%compared with the same month the year before.

Cayenne Especially Popular With Customers

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, increased their customer deliveries in May 2011. With 11,679 vehicles, deliveries were 67.5 per cent higher than in May 2010. Looking back over the first five months of fiscal year 2011 a total of 49,982 vehicles were sold, an increase of 38.4 per cent over the previous year. During this period, demand for the Cayenne was particularly high: from January to May 2011 25,061 Porsche SUVs were delivered to customers. This is more than double compared to the previous year.

Bernhard Maier, Board Member Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG saw this development as a clear signal: “With these very good results in May, we have achieved great monthly results for new orders and deliveries for the twelfth consecutive time. As of this past May, current sales in all regions and of all model lines exceed our expectations. This speaks for a highly motivated global sales organization, which, with the implementation of various measures for process optimization in recent months, combined with our emotional products, is enjoying success on a broad front.”

All Porsche markets world-wide were able to achieve growth in May 2011. Particularly Chinese customers responded strongly: compared to the same month last year deliveries tripled to 2,380 units. In North America (U.S. and Canada) Porsche reported an increase of 51.3 per cent in May 2011 with the delivery of precisely 3,126 vehicles. Europe also followed the positive delivery trend, with 4,054 units sold (+ 29.5 per cent) compared to May 2010. In its domestic market, Germany, the sports car manufacturer delivered 1,545 vehicles, a growth of 23.3 per cent compared to the same month last year.

The most successful model line in May 2011 was the Cayenne with 5,886 vehicles sold, more than a three-fold increase compared to the same month last year. The Panamera made a significant contribution to the successful performance with deliveries of 2,301 units, an increase of 27.8 per cent. The sports car model lines slightly surpassed the previous year’s level: 2,101 units of the 911 model line were delivered – an increase of 3.1 per cent. With 1,391 units, the Boxster model line, including the Cayman, posted a slight increase of 2.1 per cent compared to the same month last year. Of these, 835 vehicles were accounted for by the Boxster and 556 units by the Cayman.

New Cayenne Enjoys Best Month of 2010

ATLANTA, November, 2010—Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), importer and distributor of Porsche sports cars, Cayenne SUVs and the Panamera Gran Turismo in the United States, announced October sales in the U.S. of 2,647 units compared to the same month last year when it sold 1,642 new cars, an increase of 61 percent. This represents Porsche’s second-best sales month this year.

October’s strong showing pushed Porsche’s year-to-date results to 20,337 cars compared to the same period in 2009 when it sold 15,952, up 27.5 percent.

Nearly all models in Porsche’s portfolio enjoyed increases during the month of October. Leading the way was the new Cayenne SUV, which saw sales of 1,139 units for the period – its best single-month total this year. The Cayenne’s October results demonstrate a strong and positive consumer response to Porsche’s next-generation SUV, which first went on sale in June with the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo models. In September, Porsche expanded its SUV line-up with the launch of the all-new 2011 V6 Cayenne, and yesterday the company began selling its new Cayenne S Hybrid.

Sales of the automaker’s popular Panamera also recorded strong sales results for the month of October with 747 units sold. Year-to-date, Porsche has sold 6,312 Panamera models.

While the overall sports car sector continued to be challenged by the weak confidence in the U.S. economy, Porsche enjoyed some relative success. Porsche’s mid-engine Boxster roadster recorded robust sales of 140, an increase of 36 percent for last October, while the German company’s iconic 911 sports car recorded sales of 528, on par with the same period in 2009 when sales were 539.

In addition, dealers sold 565 Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned cars in October versus 546 for the same period last year.

Driving a Porsche in Extreme Conditions

Editor’s note: Winter is upon us. Now is a great time to consider honing your driving skills in your Porsche, in less than ideal conditions. Porsches – especially the rear engined, rear drive variety – can be very entertaining and lots of fun in snowy conditions. Think Monte Carlo Rallye and you get the idea. Here at PML, we live in the California Mojave Desert. As expatriated mid-westerners, we miss the snow-packed roads that are perfect for some creative sliding around – that console-mounted emergency brake handle is just another steering device. Besides, Austria or Finland would be a great winter vacation destination.

Stuttgart. Breath-taking icy landscapes, ice-covered mountains, frozen lakes and all kinds of sports cars: This winter the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is once again offering a wide range of opportunities to test Porsche vehicles in extreme conditions. From January to March 2011, motor sports fans can register for diverse winter driving courses at the Porsche Sport Driving School and the Porsche Travel Club.

During the Porsche winter training courses, instructors will help participants hone their driving skills and driving safety. In three sequential training levels – precision, performance and master – participants will learn how to better master their vehicles by driving in icy, yet controlled conditions.

The Precision Training Camps in Austria and Finland offer an ideal platform for beginners. In the performance and master level training courses, advanced drivers will go to Finland where they will learn to handle a Porsche in icy and snowy conditions on an ice race course. These drivers will practice correct steering and braking as well as reacting to load changes for safe cornering, among other skills. For more information, visit www.porsche.de/driving-experience-winter or call +49 (0)711/911-78155 or -78683.

Cayenne and Panamera continue to drive towards success

Editor’s Note: The fact Cayenne and Panamera platforms continue to perform this well in the global marketplace is great news. The success of these two model lines is essential to the continued well-being of Porsche and their capability to bring other exciting cars such as the Boxster Spyder, 918 Hybrid, Carrera GTS, and the GT3 RS to market. Many “purists” scream, kick, and criticize Porsche’s “diluting” the brand with the Cayenne and Panamera. Here at PML, we applaud this expansion of the Porsche product line.  Remember: Porsche built tractors once.

Enjoy the article.

Stuttgart. The Cayenne and Panamera series made by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, are going down very well with Porsche customers worldwide. This means that both the new sporty off-road vehicle and the four-door Gran Turismo are not just the most sporting models in each of their segments, but also that they fit harmoniously into the Porsche model series. The design language, created by Porsche Chief Designer Michael Mauer, is purposefully oriented on the design DNA taken from the company’s sports cars, and most especially on the classic Porsche 911. No matter which angle you observe the Cayenne and Panamera from, the Porsche brand recognition is always there.

The sporty and elegant appearance of the new Cayenne, which has been available since May 2010, was also the main reason why readers of the German “auto motor und sport“ magazine voted the Porsche SUV as the best-looking model in its class by a long head at the “autonis” design prize. In the case of the “Das Goldene Klassik-Lenkrad“ (the golden classic steering wheel) prize, issued this year for the first time by the “Auto Bild Klassik“ magazine, the Porsche Cayenne won the title of “Klassiker der Zukunft” (classic car of the future) at first try in the off-road-vehicle class with around a quarter of the votes. This title is awarded to vehicles with the biggest potential for becoming classic cars. On top of this, the Cayenne Diesel won the title of “Firmenauto des Jahres” (company car of the year) which was awarded jointly by the “Firmenauto“ magazine and the Dekra independent inspection organisation after extensive testing and comparison runs.

With sales of 29,855 vehicles, the Cayenne was the bestselling Porsche model in the 2009/10 business year, and a healthy 11,618 of these customers bought the new Cayenne. The most sought-after Cayenne engine in Europe is the diesel, which was widely accepted on the market, whereas outside Europe the models powered by the V8 engine top their respective market segments.

However, just as impressive as the Cayenne’s success is the acceptance of the luxurious four-door Panamera, which first made its debut on the world markets from September 2009 onwards. Precisely 21,706 vehicles have been delivered to customers since then, and in Germany alone the model found around 2600 buyers. And, since the current order levels are in the high thousands, successful development of this new customer segment is guaranteed. The recently introduced Panamera with the newly-developed Porsche V6 engine plays a considerable part in this success. With the Panamera, Porsche has clearly positioned itself in the upper and luxury class with this sporty model and is already reaching a segment share of 13 per cent there.

Just like the Cayenne, the Panamera has also decorated itself with several public and expert prizes. Again, the “auto motor und sport“ readers voted it into first place in the luxury class in the “Die besten Autos” (best cars) vote. It was also awarded the coveted “Auto Trophy“ by the German “Auto Zeitung“ specialist magazine in addition to “Das Goldene Lenkrad“ (golden steering wheel) from “Bild am Sonntag“ and “Auto Bild“. Moreover, the luxurious Gran Turismo won a whole series of international prizes. The British “Vehicle Dynamics“ specialist magazine gave it the “Car of the Year“ and “Dynamicist of the Year“ awards. In the USA, the editors of the “Inside Line“ online magazine also awarded the “Most Wanted Award“ to the Panamera.

Editor’s Note: Here at PML, not only are we huge fans of the Cayenne and Panamera platforms, but we’re also strong supporters of Diesel platform technology. One thing this article mentions is the popularity of the Cayenne Diesel in the European marketplace. In the U.S., the regulations addressing Diesel are very antiquated, not cognizant of the advances in Diesel technology, and thus in serious need of reform. A broader adoption of Diesel technology in the U.S. will go a long ways in reducing dependence on “foreign oil”.  We encourage you to; A. Write your congressman, and B. join a proactive lobbying group – such as SEMA – to keep abreast of legislative changes.

Panamera and new Cayenne drive growth forward

Stuttgart. The Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has again achieved outstanding results in the business year 2009/10 (July 31). According to the preliminary figures, with a growth of 17.9 percent to 7.79 billion euros, Porsche achieved the highest turnover in company history. Sales also rose by 8.8 percent to 81,850 (previous year: 75,238) vehicles.

Michael Macht, Chairman of the Porsche AG Board of Management, foresees a further dynamic company development: “The record turnover dramatically demonstrates that Porsche has regained its former strength. Porsche will also follow up the positive trend in the current business year.” Macht primarily bases this upon the vehicle series Cayenne and Panamera, along with the 911 Speedster and the 911 Carrera GTS. At the start of October, both of these new models will celebrate their world premiere at the Paris Motor Show.

At the same time, the announced change in Porsche AG top management will take place. Starting on October 1, the previous head of product planning, product management and model ranges for the VW Group and the Volkswagen brand, Matthias Müller, will become the Chairman of the Porsche AG Board of Management. Michael Macht will be joining the Volkswagen AG Board of Management, and he will have the functional responsibility for Group Production.

In the previous business year 2009/10, the Panamera, which was introduced on the worldwide market in September 2009, achieved sales of 20,615 units. The highest-volume model line remained the Cayenne with 29,855 sold. Despite the model changeover in the series in spring 2010, the decline only amounted to 12.9 percent. The entirely newly developed Cayenne, at retailers since May of this year, has already reached 11,618 units.

The sales of the 911 series were negatively affected by the continuing difficult economic conditions facing the sports-car market. In the business year 2009/10, according to preliminary figures, sales dropped by 27.4 percent to 19,663 units. It should be noted, however, that the model mix was improved. Porsche’s total sales for the new 911 Turbo and the 911 Turbo S amounted to 4,055 units. The sales for the Boxster series declined by 10.8 percent to 11,717 units. Of these units, 6,865 vehicles were the Roadster Boxster and 4,852 were the Cayman.

The development of the Porsche Group fared differently in the world’s most important sales regions. Sales outside the core markets in Europe and North America grew significantly by 25.8 percent to 25,283 vehicles. The Chinese market alone accounted for 11,724 units, an increase by 47.5 percent from the same period of the previous year. In Europe, sales showed a slight increase by 1.4 percent to 30,948 units. Of these vehicles, 11,857 were sold in Germany, 3.5 percent less than in the previous year. In the North American market Porsche sold 23,705 vehicles, an increase of four percent compared to the previous year. In the whole American market Porsche achieved sales of 25,619 units.

Production from the previous year amounted to a total of 89,123 vehicles, 16.1 percent more than in the same period of the previous year. In Leipzig, 32,215 units of the Cayenne series and 24,494 new Panamera vehicles rolled off the production lines. At the main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, 20,159 vehicles of the 911 series were built, which was 27.4 percent fewer than in the previous year. The Boxster series reached a total of 12,255 units, a decline of 14.9 percent.

The number of employees increased by the end of the business year by one percent to 12,722 persons. The overwhelming majority of these, 10,880 employees, were domestic employees. 110 young people newly started apprenticeship training. In total, 340 trainees were thereby employed at Porsche.

Cayenne Regains Sales Lead, Panamera Continues to Enjoy Strong Results

ATLANTA — Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), importer and distributor of Porsche sports cars, Cayenne SUVs and the Panamera Gran Turismo line-up in the United States, announced August sales in the U.S. of 2,032 units compared to the same period last year when it sold 1,526, up 33 percent.

Most noteworthy for the month were the results for Porsche’s new-generation 2011 Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo, which regained their volume lead by posting sales of 775, compared to last year when sales were 509, an increase of 52 percent. The Cayenne achieved these results despite the fact that the 2011 Cayenne and Cayenne S Hybrid are yet to join Porsche’s SUV line-up. Both will come to the U.S. market later this month.

Also notable was the continuing strong performance of Porsche’s four-door Panamera Gran Turismo with sales of 627. This new model line for Porsche went on sale last October, and its three eight-cylinder models were joined by two six-cylinder versions last month.

So far in 2010, Porsche’s overall year-to-date sales are 15,719 versus last year when they were 12,729, an increase of 23 percent.

For the month, Porsche’s Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales were 609, compared to 567 for the same period last year.

The Panamera Is In High Demand Internationally

Editor’s Note: here at PML, we’ve always felt the Panamera was destined for market success – quirky rear 3/4 looks and all. This car is extremely competent and focused. The fact that 22,518 Porsche Customers Chose the Gran Turismo in its Very First Year is testimonial that the Panamera resonates very well, despite the turbulent economy and the competitive, high-end “sport”sedan market.  There is – literally – nothing quite like the Panamera out there.

Enclosed in our post is a nicely-done sales chart. We apologize for the scale, which makes it tough to read.  Please email us for a larger PDF version – we’re happy to share.

Stuttgart. Panamera, the fourth series by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has established itself as another important pillar in Porsche’s portfolio just one year after its introduction to the market. During this period, 22,518 Panameras have already been delivered –– 2,530 vehicles in Germany alone. Additional purchase orders in the four figures attest to the successful development of a new customer segment, especially when taking into account the six-cylinder-engine Panamera currently being introduced. The Gran Turismo found quite a large number of fans, especially in international metropolises.

At the forefront is Porsche‘s traditionally most significant sales market, North America: 890 vehicles are already cruising the streets of Los Angeles and 760 the streets of New York. Interest in the four-seater is also large in Asia, as could be expected: 300 Panamera were delivered to Hong Kong, 223 to Tokyo and 188 vehicles were delivered to Shanghai, where the Gran Turismo celebrated its world premier at the end of April 2009. Very pleasing figures were reported by other cosmopolitan cities, such as Dubai (285), Moscow (203), Munich (206), Hamburg (117) and Berlin (108).

“Our corporate strategy of value-oriented growth has proven itself to be a successful model: With the Panamera, Porsche has clearly positioned itself with the sportiest automobile in the high-end and luxury-class market and achieves already a 13 per-cent share of its segment today”, summarized Bernhard Maier, Member of the Management Board for Sales and Marketing of the Porsche AG.

There are five models available in the new Gran Turismo series: Panamera and Panamera 4 with 300 HP and a six-cylinder-engine, Panamera S and Panamera 4S (400 HP and an eight-cylinder engine), as well as the Panamera Turbo (500 HP and an eight-cylinder engine). With 9,394 vehicles delivered, the Panamera 4S is at the head of the charts, followed by world-class model Panamera Turbo (6,171 vehicles) and the Panamera S (4,563 vehicles). The six-cylinder-model Panamera, introduced only a few weeks ago, has already been delivered to 2,390 customers. The color selection also keeps Panamera drivers in line with the latest trends. So far, the most popular colors for the Gran Turismo have been basalt black metallic, carrara white and carbon grey metallic.

The Panamera Turbo can be customized to your personal tastes with a 40 HP performance enhancer, as well as a sport design package. In addition, the Porsche Exclusive and Porsche Tequipment packages are available for each model as add-ons to the standard series equipment to make your vehicle personal and exclusive.

Total sales in over the financial year increase by 17 percent in the USA

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, continued its upward trend in the US market in July. The manufacturer of premium sports cars delivered 2,703 units to customers, which corresponds to an increase of around 75 percent compared to the same month last year. All in all, Porsche sold 22,180 vehicles in the USA in the last financial year, which ended on July 31, 2010; around 17 percent more than the previous financial year.

The increase indicates that Porsche is also back on the path to success in its largest sales market following the global financial and economic crisis.

Sales of the Panamera continue to develop excellently. 807 units of the four-door Gran Turismo were delivered in July. This is the highest number since the series was introduced on the US market on October 17, 2009.

Selling even better is the new generation of the Cayenne SUV, which has been available in the USA since June 2010. 910 units of this series were delivered in July, an increase of around 68 percent compared to the same month last year.

Sales of the 911 series decreased by about nine percent to 594 vehicles, while those of the mid-engine Boxster and Cayman sports cars increased by more than eleven percent to a total of 392 units.

…WHAT Recession?