Porsche announced on Thursday that it delivered 15,020 vehicles globally last month, 13 percent more than in the same month last year. This brings the total number of sales for the first five months of the year to 67,261 – up 19 percent compared to January – May 2012.
What’s interesting is that Porsche’s release says deliveries reached 15,000 sports cars in May, which in my view, is a clear abuse of the term “sports car”. A closer look reveals that a little over a third of these vehicles were from the 911 and Boxster/Cayman ranges, with the rest comprised of Cayenne SUVs and Panamera saloons (or liftbacks, to be precise).
More specifically, 2,805 vehicles were from the Boxster/Cayman lineup, nearly three times the figure of May 2012 – which is understandable, since people were expecting the new generation model. Another 3,000 units belong to the 911 range, 12 percent more than in May 2012. The rest of 9,215 cars were Cayennes and Panameras – not exactly my idea of sports cars, no matter how fast they are. The automaker did not release individual results for the two nameplates.
Porsche’s best market in May was the United States with 3,927 sales, an increase of 38 percent compared to May 2012. In its second-largest market, China, Porsche delivered 3,206 vehicles – 6 percent more than in the same month last year. The best-selling model in China was the Cayenne SUV.
By Dan Mihalascu
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