Growth revs up for Porsche in China

Porsche is "cautiously optimistic" about its sales in China this year, but sales volume is not the company's primary goal, said a senior executive in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

The German sports car maker saw its sales in the first quarter soared 21 percent to 21,365 in China, its largest market. The rebound came after a rare dip in 2022 primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Detlev von Platen, a member of Porsche's executive board for sales and marketing, said the carmaker is striving for value-oriented growth and long-term development.

"After all, sales volume is not our primary goal. We're aiming at exciting as many of our customers as we can with our appealing products and services."

He said the new Cayenne SUV, with one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche, is having its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai that kicks off on Tuesday.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary, Porsche has brought a stellar lineup of 13 models to the biennial festival for car aficionados.

Besides the Cayenne, the Vision 357 concept is making its China premiere and the 911 Dakar is meeting the public for the first time in a brick-and-mortar event.

Porsche is speeding up its transformation towards electrification while emphasising the same driving pleasure as its gasoline models.

von Platen said the Taycan sedan and more electric models in the pipeline including the Macan SUV, 718 sports car, Cayenne and an SUV positioned above the Cayenne will enable the customers to enjoy the "true Porsche feeling" in the electric era.

"Regardless of the powertrain, Porsche will always aspire to provide the pure driving pleasure and sports car performance that, in our view, distinguishes us from other brands and sets us apart," he said.

Speaking of Chinese EV startups, von Platen said some of their products are "impressive", adding that Porsche welcomes competition because it benefits the customers and creates a market with innovation and dynamism.

But when asked to give a word of advice for those who wish to get established in the premium segment, he said "it is not just about having superior technology and attractive products, it is also about sticking to the core of the brand".

"That (our brand heritage) is what makes us special and let us build up an emotional bond with the fans and customers," said von Platen.

When it comes to localization, von Platen said the company has no plans to produce vehicles in China, explaining that it doesn't make sense to think about vehicle production here at the current stage because of its limited volume.

But he added that when it comes to software, such as infotainment topics and also autonomous driving, it will be more meaningful to find appropriate solutions directly in China.