Porsche promotes Japan boss to run China operations

BERLIN — Michael Kirsch, CEO of Porsche Japan, will become president and CEO of Porsche China and Porsche Hong Kong and Macao on June 1, the brand said in a statement.

Kirsch, 56, has held the position of CEO in Japan since 2019 and previously served as COO of Porsche China from 2012 to 2016. Prior to the Japan post, Kirsch was the German luxury brand’s Korea head for three years.

His succeeds Jens Puttfarcken, who has served as president and CEO of Porsche China, Hong Kong and Macao, since 2018, and has been appointed by Audi to assume the role of head of sales in Europe. Porsche and Audi are part of Volkswagen Group.

Puttfarcken oversaw a significant market expansion of Porsche in China, including the founding of Porsche Digital China in 2019. He also led the establishment of a research and development satellite location in Shanghai, which is due to open this year.

"I am confident that he [Kirsch] will set further strong impulses with plenty of valuable initiatives for the Chinese market and will continue to increase the impact of our brand there," Detlev von Platen, Porsche's sales and marketing chief, said in the statement.

Kirsch held senior management positions at BMW and an international hotel chain before joining Porsche.

China has been Porsche's biggest single market since 2015, and 2021 sales rose 8 percent to 95,671. The automaker saw demand grow in all global regions last year, with U.S. deliveries rising at the fastest clip -- 22 percent -- to 70,025. China represented 32 percent of the brand's global volume in 2021.

In October 2021, Porsche Ventures, the brand's venture capital unit, announced an investment in iMaker, a Chinese startup specializing in "virtual influencers" and digital ecosystems.

The company said it sees the investment in iMaker as a way to grab the attention of the next generation of car owners, who expect a personalized, digital portfolio of services bundled with their vehicles.

Porsche also celebrated 20 years in China in November by taking a car decorated as a swan, complete with an inflatable head and wings, on a tour of art galleries and museums across the country.

Yang Jian contributed to this report.