Porsche: More cars, happy dealers
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ORLANDO -- Porsche executives aim at least to match last year's 21 percent sales growth on the strength of updated products launching in 2013, they told dealers at the make meeting.
This year's biggest launch is the redesigned Cayman going on sale in April, said Detlev von Platen, CEO of Porsche Cars North America. He didn't disclose projected volume but said, "We are on track on our growth."
Porsche plans U.S. sales of 50,000 units in 2018, which would be up 43 percent from 35,043 in 2012. Porsche won't add dealerships to achieve that growth. Instead, Porsche's product expansion should boost sales and profitability for the brand's 191 current dealerships.
Sales per dealership already have risen dramatically in the past few years, and they are expected to rise another 30 percent over the next three years, executives have said. In 2012, average net profit margins for U.S. Porsche dealerships were 3.6 percent, up from 2011 and above the industry average.
"We need to improve our position on customer satisfaction," von Platen said. He noted that Porsche's volume is such that "we could basically shake the hand of each and every customer in North America."
Porsche plans consumer focus groups this year to improve customer satisfaction scores, particularly those for women, which are lower than those for male customers, von Platen said.
Tommy Baker, who owns a Porsche dealership in Charleston, S.C., raved about "product, product and more product" coming to dealerships.
"It's a great time to be a Porsche dealer," Baker said.
Marc Cohen, a Porsche dealer in Towson, Md., looks for his sales to rise. His store sold slightly more than 100 new vehicles in 2012, up from 40 in 2009. He's looking for 125 this year.
"There's a lot of good product coming," Cohen said. "The U.S. market is extremely important to them. The future looks bright."
• Efforts under way to improve customer satisfaction particularly with women
• U.S. sales on track to hit 50,000 in 2018
You can reach Amy Wilson at awilson@crain.com.
