- New Cayenne GTS to be unveiled at Auto China in Beijing on April 23
- Plans to construct the first Porsche Driving Experience Centre in Asia, scheduled to open in 2013
- Porsche press conference at 10:30 on April 23 in Hall E 5, Stand: E505
Porsche will celebrate the world premiere of the new Cayenne GTS and present the new generation of the Boxster for the first time in Asia during Auto China in Beijing, which holds its Press Day on April 23.
The GTS builds on the Cayenne model’s reputation as the most sporting SUV, offering a more powerful 420 hp engine, increased dynamic power development and a tauter chassis with 24mm lower ride height and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) as standard. The Cayenne GTS goes on sale in the UK in July, priced from £67,147.
China represents the fastest growing export market for Porsche and is the second largest after the USA and ahead of the domestic German market. The sports car manufacturer sold more than 24,000 vehicles in China last year, an increase of 65 per cent compared with 2010 and a new record for the company. Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG, said: “Porsche is therefore the market leader for sports cars in China. From the establishment of our subsidiary in 2008 up to today, we have sold 8,831 sports cars of the 911, Boxster and Cayman models in China. Last year we attained a segment share of 46 per cent.”
The most popular Porsche model in China in 2011 was again the Cayenne with 13,283 units sold. For the second time in succession, more SUVs were supplied to customers in the Middle Kingdom than in any other country in the world. China is also now the world’s largest market for the Panamera, and the second largest single market for the mid-engined Boxster and Cayman sports cars.
There are also indications of sustained high demand in the current year: in the first three months of 2012, Porsche delivered 7,121 vehicles to Chinese customers, an increase of 38.3 per cent compared with the same quarter last year.
In order to fulfil this sustained high demand, Porsche will continue to expand its dealer network in 2012. Since the start of this year, three new Porsche Centres have already been opened while one has been extended. The existing dealer network will be increased from the current figure of 41 Porsche Centres to a total of around 100 by 2015.
Porsche is also building an exclusive customer testing facility at a legendary location for motorsport enthusiasts: the Shanghai International Circuit (SIC), the race track which has staged the Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2004. Directly adjacent to this, the first Porsche Driving Experience Centre (PDEC) in Asia is being constructed. Covering an area of 100,000 square metres (approximately 25 acres), the site will contain a test track, slalom facility and off-road courses. In addition, there will be training rooms for exclusive use by customers and fans of Porsche. After it has been completed, anticipated in the third quarter of 2013, the Porsche Driving Experience Centre in Shanghai will be the third customer testing ground in the world alongside Leipzig, Germany, and Silverstone in the UK.
Porsche is also actively involved in social projects in China. Together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the sports car manufacturer is supporting the education of children and adolescents in the Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan regions that were affected by earthquakes. Porsche has extended this co-operation by two years to 2014 and increased its financial contribution amounting to 10.2 million Renminbi (RMB) (around €1.2 million) by 5 million RMB.
The success of the programme is exceeding all expectations: in a good two years more than 7,500 teachers have been trained and more than 115,000 school students have received better education and teaching materials. This was more than twice as many as expected at the start of the programme.
