Porsche 2009 Annual Report Download - page 75

The large number of start-ups across all
group brands and corporate locations attested to
Volkswagen’s high levels of quality and enabled the
number of repairs to be maintained at a consistently
low level.
Efficient production management
Because Volkswagen continuously adjusts
production to developments in the market and is re-
markably flexible, it has succeeded in captivating cus-
tomers with the Volkswagen group’s young, appealing
product portfolio, dramatically reducing stock levels
at the same time.
By working hand in hand with the sales and
procurement divisions, Volkswagen will further stabi-
lize operations at its production facilities to reach
ideal stock levels.
Volkswagen’s superb product portfolio and
the group’s network of service providers will cushion
the effects of the phasing-out of government incentive
programs on the Volkswagen group. Intelligently
scheduled customer orders and Volkswagen’s ample
tools for achieving flexible working practices will
again provide the key for demand-driven production
with minimum costs and optimized liquidity.
Sales and distribution network in the Porsche
Zwischenholding GmbH group
At the beginning of the fiscal year 2009/10,
activities in the worldwide sales and distribution net-
worked focused on the introduction of the fourth
model series, the Panamera. The systematic ground-
ing for dealers delivered by the “Road to Panamera”
initiative and its individual plans of action paid off. The
sales and distribution network was ideally prepared
and the market launch was a complete success. The
next major challenge concerned the new Cayenne.
The market launch kicked off in Europe in May 2010,
followed by the America and Asia regions in June. The
introduction of the five new models was supported in
particular by comprehensive product and sales train-
ing.
Naturally, the qualitative and quantitative de-
velopment of Porsche’s sales and distribution network
continues. The expansion of the dealership network in
the regions is intended to continuously enhance mar-
ket coverage. In China alone, the number of Porsche
centers rose from eight to 33 in the past fiscal year –
an increase of 32 percent. Porsche is also investing
in other markets. The past fiscal year saw the com-
pletion of a total of around 100 construction projects
– comprising new buildings and modifications – with
an investment volume of some 200 million euro.
Porsche tops customer satisfaction ratings
Porsche’s appeal to automobile fans is re-
flected in the brand’s excellent results in many sur-
veys. The string of opinion polls by US institute J.D.
Power in which Porsche has come out on top demon-
strates the high level of satisfaction with the brand
among customers in the USA. In the reporting year,
Porsche claimed first place for the sixth successive
time in the overall rating of J.D. Power’s “Automotive
Performance, Execution and Layout Study (APEAL)”
survey. Moreover, the Panamera and the 911 took
second and third places in the best vehicle category.
As in the prior year, the 911 came first in the “Pre-
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