65 per cent growth and 24,000 deliveries for Porsche China

Shanghai. Porsche China completed a decade of outstanding growth in 2011 with a full twelve months of extraordinary success in sales and network development. In a year distinguished by ten-year anniversary celebrations and several high-profile car launches and racing events, Porsche continued to expand its dealership network throughout Mainland China while simultaneously accelerating the development of sports car culture across the country. And as it worked to fulfil its mission to bring motorsport to car enthusiasts nationwide, Porsche China also surpassed a significant milestone in 2011: After just a single decade, China has become its second largest market worldwide, confirming the extraordinary popularity of the brand in the world’s most dynamic automotive market.

In 2011, Porsche China posted record-breaking growth in both car deliveries and new Porsche Centre openings. The 24,340 cars delivered to customers in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau resulted in a 64.6 per cent increase over the 14,785 cars sold in 2010.

Mr. Helmut Broeker, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche China, said “At the end of a superb year and an incredible decade, we feel honoured to have had so many opportunities to grow with China. Since 2001, our journey has been ‘Made in Faith’ that our loyal customers here would welcome our mission to bring them superior driving experiences and world-class standards of customer care. That we have accomplished so much on both these fronts over the last year, while also expanding our efforts to give back to this country, has made the last twelve months of our tenth anniversary very special. Looking ahead, we are very excited to begin our next ten years here in 2012.”

Sales of premium Porsche sports cars soared, as the Boxster sold 1,403 units — up 70.7 per cent over 2010 — while the Cayman and 911 reached 999 and 929 units, respectively, making for year-on-year increases of 34.1 and 20.2 per cent. And once again standing out for especially strong performance in China, the Cayenne and Panamera both made the country their number one markets worldwide in 2011. At 13,283 units delivered, the Cayenne accounted for half of all Porsche cars sold the whole year. Supported by the launches in China of two new models — the Panamera Turbo S and Panamera S Hybrid — the luxury sedan also realised a 100 per cent sales increase with 7,726 units sold, compared to the 3,833 in 2010. Assisting such rapidly increasing demand all year long, the nationwide network of 39 Porsche Centres — including the eight new facilities opened in Taizhou, Haikou, Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Changchun, Nanning and Wuhan — contributed significantly to the consistently successful sales across the country that have positioned the brand for even stronger growth in 2012.

Recognising this impressive growth and the constantly increasing popularity of the brand in China, leading publications nationwide have given Porsche their highest praise. Auto World endorsed the Cayenne 3.0 as the “Most Worth Buying” and “Recommended Car Model of 2011,” in addition to naming the new 911 one of the “Ten Best Car Models of 2012.” Throughout the year, even before its launch in China, the new 911 has received widespread admiration. Southern Metropolis Daily crowned it “Luxury Sports Car of the Year,” Quattroruote distinguished it with its “Sports Car of the Year” award, the Beijing Times awarded it “Best Sports Car” of 2011 and the readers of Auto Motor und Sport China voted it their favourite car for 2012. The Robb Report also gave the 911 Carrera S the title “Best of the Best” among the year’s sports cars. Honouring the special 911 “Ten Year Anniversary Edition,” Orientauto presented it with its Classic Design Award, while naming Porsche itself “Best Imported Brand of the Year.” And in tribute to a year filled with outstanding achievements, Auto Motor und Sport China also bestowed the brand once again with its highest accolades: “Best Car Brand” for “Making Sporty Cars” and “Success in Racing.”

A year of consistently high acclaim was fitting for one distinguished by several new model launches. Making its World Premiere at Auto Shanghai, the Panamera Turbo S first fascinated crowds with its combination of high performance and impressively low fuel economy. And with their debuts in China later in the year, the new 911 — which made its Asia Premiere at Auto Guangzhou — and the Panamera S Hybrid both instantly shined, breaking records for efficiency in their classes.

Outside of launching new and exciting cars, Porsche also continued in its work to support the maturation of sports car culture in China through prominent motorsport and exhibition events. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) — in its first year directly under the management of Porsche China — completed a spectacular ninth season filled with the intense competition that has made it Asia’s premium one-make series. At the Shanghai International Circuit finale in October, Keita Sawa of LKM Racing Team came out on top of the season’s 26 racers to be crowned champion of the 2011 PCCA, while Class B Champion Wang Jian Wei of Team BetterLife became the first Chinese driver to take home a championship trophy. The record grids in 2011 have paved the way for an even hotter tenth season in 2012, when new entrants — Team Basetex (for the soon-to-be-opened Porsche Centre Quanzhou), Team Yongda (for the Porsche Centres Haikou and Wuxi) and Team Eagle - Jiejun & Junbaojie(for the Porsche Centres Ningbo, Jinhua, Taizhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou Binjiang) — will join the fray. Meanwhile, showcasing the marque’s legendary sporting pedigree through the full range of its premium cars, the Porsche World Roadshow (PWRS) also completed its eighth tour through China. And, in its first appearance on the Mainland, Porsche Experience descended upon the Salintun Village in Beijing as an interactive exhibition where guests discovered the heritage and values of the brand.

Finally, throughout the year, Porsche continued to realise its mission of “Empowering the Future” of disadvantaged youth in China. In an effort to raise the public awareness and funds necessary to improve children’s education in post-earthquake reconstruction zones, Porsche China deepened its commitment to the Mobile Educational and Training Resource Units (METRU) programme it conducts in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Porsche donated two more Cayenne SUVs to the four already in operation, lengthened the partnership period by two years until 2014 and pledged to extend the reach of its assistance to Yunnan Province in addition to Sichuan and Gansu Provinces. The brand also contributed a further five million RMB to the initial 10.2 million RMB donation it made in 2009. Now, after the expansion of this project and the completion of its second annual charity Art Contest held with the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Porsche has already surpassed the original programme goals. The project was created to provide 55,000 students and 3,000 teachers at 500 schools with access to quality education and resources. Only two years after its inception, it has improved the quality of education for more than 115,000 students and trained more than 7,500 teachers across 430 schools.