Porsche boosted by new models and new market areas

This will be product led with the Geneva launch of the 911 GT3 adding to an increasingly rejuvenated range which over the past few months has seen the launch of the new generation 911 and the Cayman plus an all-new diesel engine for the big Cayenne 4x4.

Goss said: "We will also have our first 4-door model, the Panamera, coming later in the year but I think one of the most significant model is the Cayenne diesel which we have just launched in the UK."

"The luxury 4x4 segment is dominated by diesels which account for 86% of all sales - and we haven't had one until now. The early signs are very encouraging. We have had 460 bookings for 24-hour test drives in the Cayenne diesel and that's well ahead of the 250 we were expecting."

Goss said that Porsche dealers in the UK have been reporting increased showroom activity since January and he admits to being "less pessimistic than I was. The business environment seems to have stabilized and I expect to see an upturn in business in the spring."

Goss adds that the Panamera will give the company access to a new set of customers, slightly older than current 911 buyers, who currently drive cars such as the Maserati Quattroporte, BMW 7-series or Jaguar.

The 911 GT3 will go on sale in autumn, and features an engine uprated from 3.6 to 3.8-litres now producing 435 bhp - 20 bhp more than the outgoing model.

[IMG]http://www.oneshift.com/showroom/uploadimages/resized-20090304163634601.jpg[/IMG]

Credits: JRC