Ford and General Motors eliminated a number of sedans to focus on more profitable trucks, crossovers and SUVs. This isn’t too surprising as they’re often considered cash cows, but a new report is suggesting the most profitable vehicle in the world is actually a car.
According to Bloomberg, the new Porsche 911 (992) is more profitable – “proportionately speaking” – than any other vehicle that debuted in the past year. That’s a bit of an odd metric, but the publication says the car is responsible for nearly 30% percent of the company’s earnings even though it only makes up about 11% of sales.
The reason for this probably isn’t too surprising for anyone who has played around with Porsche’s configurator. While the 911 Carrera starts at $97,400, it’s easy to add nearly $20,000 to the base price by adding a handful of options such as the Premium package, leather seats, a metallic paint job and an assortment of other convenience features.
Also Read: 2020 Porsche 911 Is New And More Powerful, But Oh, So Familiar
There’s also a countless string of variants that seems to grow longer by the day. Adding all-wheel drive bumps the price up to $104,700, while opting for the Cabriolet means you’ll need to shell out at least $110,200.
As of right now, the range-topping model is the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet which starts at $133,400. Of course, there are more expensive versions of the horizon including a new 911 GT3 and Turbo.
Unsurprisingly, those high-end models cost a fortune and pad Porsche’s bottom line. As Bloomberg Intelligence’s Michael Dean explained, “If you assume they sell 10,000 Turbos anyway, plus GT3 and Turbo S’s, just the Turbo variants of the 911 alone could actually mean half a billion dollars in terms of profit for Porsche.”
While the 911 is a quiet cash cow, Porsche’s latest model is also its least profitable according to Bloomberg. Despite a base price of $150,900, the 2020 Taycan isn’t expected to turn a profit until 2023.
