When the going gets tough, the tough buy Porsches
Kuala Lumpur: Times may be about to get tougher globally, but it hasn't stopped Asians from chasing nice cars yet.
Luxury carmaker Porsche said it expects to double the number of cars sold in Asia Pacific this year to 4,100 from about 2,000 last year.
"And this is just a conserva-tive estimate," Christer Ekberg, managing director of Porsche Asia Pacific, told Business Times here yesterday after the launch of two new models.
The estimates for the region don't include China, Japan and Australia.
Ekberg said Porsche has been seeing a sales boom in Asia, with every single market showing growth, particularly Korea and Taiwan. Two years ago, it sold just 1,400 cars.
"The growth (for Porsche) is in Asia. Korea is very fast growing, while Taiwan is 'exploding'. (In contrast), the markets are mature and saturated in the West and in the best case they're stable," he said.
Ekberg attributed the strong sales to Porsche's competitive portfolio and attractive models. "The waiting list is getting long, and the waiting time is getting long," he said.
Malaysia too has seen strong growth. Last year, it sold 143 Porsche units compared with 75 in the previous year.
Arnt Bayer, chief executive officer of Sime Darby Auto Imports Sdn Bhd, the sole importer of Porsche cars in Malaysia, said sales have yet to show signs of slowing.
"We're selling numbers that we've never sold before," he said.
Still, on a regional basis, Ekberg is doubtful Porsche can continue to double its sales volume next year, given the slowing global economy which some economists believe may lead to another recession.
"During the last financial crisis, we were about 20 per cent down, which was not (as bad) as many others, but still, everybody is sooner or later affected. This is is clear," he said.
Meanwhile, Bayer expects to sell around 10 units a year each of the newly-launched Porsche Panamera S Hybrid and Panamera Turbo S models.
The top-of-the-line Panamera Turbo S retails at RM1.36 million, while the Panamera S Hybrid retails at RM910,000.
Bayer also said that there are increasingly more female buyers of Porsche cars in Malaysia.
Luxury carmaker Porsche said it expects to double the number of cars sold in Asia Pacific this year to 4,100 from about 2,000 last year.
"And this is just a conserva-tive estimate," Christer Ekberg, managing director of Porsche Asia Pacific, told Business Times here yesterday after the launch of two new models.
Ekberg said Porsche has been seeing a sales boom in Asia, with every single market showing growth, particularly Korea and Taiwan. Two years ago, it sold just 1,400 cars.
"The growth (for Porsche) is in Asia. Korea is very fast growing, while Taiwan is 'exploding'. (In contrast), the markets are mature and saturated in the West and in the best case they're stable," he said.
Ekberg attributed the strong sales to Porsche's competitive portfolio and attractive models. "The waiting list is getting long, and the waiting time is getting long," he said.
Malaysia too has seen strong growth. Last year, it sold 143 Porsche units compared with 75 in the previous year.
Arnt Bayer, chief executive officer of Sime Darby Auto Imports Sdn Bhd, the sole importer of Porsche cars in Malaysia, said sales have yet to show signs of slowing.
"We're selling numbers that we've never sold before," he said.
Still, on a regional basis, Ekberg is doubtful Porsche can continue to double its sales volume next year, given the slowing global economy which some economists believe may lead to another recession.
"During the last financial crisis, we were about 20 per cent down, which was not (as bad) as many others, but still, everybody is sooner or later affected. This is is clear," he said.
Meanwhile, Bayer expects to sell around 10 units a year each of the newly-launched Porsche Panamera S Hybrid and Panamera Turbo S models.
The top-of-the-line Panamera Turbo S retails at RM1.36 million, while the Panamera S Hybrid retails at RM910,000.
Bayer also said that there are increasingly more female buyers of Porsche cars in Malaysia.
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