While demand for luxury cars in Asia is still strong and growth is expected to continue for a while, automakers are aware that they must identify new markets in order to ensure growth. Take Porsche for instance, which is reportedly planning to enter 15 new countries by 2020, most of them in Africa.
“We’re covering new markets where we have not been in yet. We’re aiming to go into an additional 15 countries by the end of the decade,” Porsche’s global sales chief Bernhard Maier was quoted as saying by Bloomberg News at the Shanghai opening of the company’s largest dealership in the world.
Maier added Porsche is looking at North Africa, but didn’t say which markets are being considered. The VW-owned sports car manufacturer wants to sell more than 200,000 vehicles a year in 2015 or 2016 and expanding into new markets would help it meet its target.
Porsche is VW Group’s third-biggest “cash cow” after Audi and the VW brand. The Stuttgart-based carmaker made up €1.29 billion ($1.75 billion) of VW Group’s operating profit of €5.78 billion ($7.84 billion) in the first six months of this year.
In addition to the expansion in virgin markets, Porsche is looking for growth through new models, such as the Macan SUV. The crossover is expected to become the brand’s best-selling vehicle, as it will be cheaper than the Cayenne, Porsche’s current No. 1 car in terms of sales.
The Macan is expected to be particularly successful in relatively new markets such as China, Russia and Southeast Asian countries, with Maier saying the Macan would be used to “better exploit” all markets. Below you will find some fresh pictures of the SUV shot during the testing phase.
By Dan Mihalascu
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