Porsche sees potential to sell 150,000 cars a year, CEO says

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — The head of sports car maker Porsche AG said the company could sell 150,000 cars a year in the mid to long-term, but new models would be needed to achieve this near doubling of sales.
“If the world economy picks up again, we can well imagine unit sales of 150,000 Porsche cars per year,” CEO Michael Macht told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag in an interview.

“But we won’t achieve this with the four models that are existing today. Otherwise, we would have to significantly increase the number of cars of the current models. And then we would not be exclusive anymore. Therefore we have to think about new vehicles.”

Porsche currently manufactures the 911 sports coupe, the Boxster cabriolet and its hardtop variant, the Cayman, the Cayenne SUV and the Panamera luxury sedan.

Preliminary results showed unit sales at the Porsche AG plunged 24 percent to about 75,200 vehicles in the past fiscal year to the end of July 2009.

Electric ambitions

Macht said that the company was working “intensively” on an electrically powered sports car but it would take some time until a marketable model could be introduced “with a reasonable reach, achieving the same handling characteristics of a gasoline engine.”

Being asked whether that would ever happen, Macht was quoted as saying: “I could imagine that we will drive the first vehicles in as soon as five to 10 years.”

Regarding the future of the company Macht, who took over the position of Porsche AG CEO from Wendelin Wiedeking in July, said: “I am standing for integration instead of confrontation. This does not mean that my predecessor was the exact opposite. He very much could integrate, otherwise he would not have been that successful over so many years.”

Porsche 911 Sport Classic: Nostalgia Served With a Side of Ducktail

Porsche is giving some fan service. The 911 Sport Classic, pictured above, is a look back to simpler times, featuring a straightforward drivetrain and high-quality execution. After three years of development by Porsche Exclusive, the automaker’s personalization wing, the Sport Classic coupe will debut next to the 2010 911 Turbo, GT3 RS and GT3 Cup race car at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Unique to the Sport Classic are a double-dome roof, lower fascia and lip, and a fixed ducktail spoiler. Though based on the Carrera S, the Sport Classic uses the wider 4S body. Underneath the fenders are black 19-in. wheels. The interior gets the bespoke treatment, too, with the adaptive sports seats wearing woven leather and a light grey trim. Custom trim highlights the dashboard, which boasts Espresso Nature natural leather.

Porsche‘s venerable 3.8L flat-six provides propulsion with 408-hp, which is a 23-hp improvement over stock, thanks to a new intake manifold. The engine connects to a six-speed manual — the only choice. (What, did you think they had dual-clutch gearboxes in 1972?) Ceramic brakes are standard, as is the sports suspension and a mechanical limited-slip differential.

Porsche photo

Like it? Too bad. It’s not available in North America. World sales begin in January. Each of the 250 examples carry an MSRP of €169,300 ($240,760).

Porsche photo