Porsche’s Suggested Subscription Model Could Prevent Its Cars Being Flipped For Profit

Porsche may adopt some kind of subscription model for its limited-edition vehicles in a bid to stop speculators flipping the vehicles for huge profits.

It is no secret that Porsche has built up a loyal fan and customer base throughout the decades and whenever the German automaker launches a limited-edition model, it quickly sells out. Before long, virtually untouched examples hit the used car market at exorbitant prices.

This was no more apparent than when Porsche launched the desirable 911 R a few years ago. Not long after customers started taking delivery, prices skyrocketed and it’s reported that some used examples were listed for sale for around $1 million despite the sports car’s MSRP of $184,900. The 911 R bubble soon burst and now examples are routinely selling for less than $300,000. Despite this, Porsche is considering ways to prevent such scenarios moving forward.

“Our interest is to sell cars for drivers, not dealers,” Porsche chief executive Oliver Blume recently told Autocar.

“We put so much love into them, with the goal of people driving them not to put them in a garage. One thing we could do is look at leasing models to try to avoid this kind of dealing, so the car doesn’t get sold on for a period of time. It is one solution,” he said.

Other car manufacturers have experimented with things like this in a bid to avoid their vehicles being flipped, most notably Ford with the GT. All buyers of the mid-engined supercar are required to sign a contract that prevents them from selling the car for at least two years. Many viewed this as draconian but it has helped to stop Ford GTs being routinely flipped. There are a few exceptions, however.