Porsche 2006 Annual Report Download - page 62

60 Markets
also stabilized at a high level and the Porsche Center
in Santo Domingo was extended. The proportion of
dealerships with showrooms following the Porsche
architectural design concept has now increased to
91 percent.
Events organized by the particularly active Porsche
Clubs in Latin America, as well as the Porsche Sport
Driving School, the ‘Porsche World Roadshow’ and
numerous local driving presentations, underpinned
the brand’s vitality in the region.
Europe
Germany: Success on a Weak Market
The economic upturn and the general positive political
and economic sentiment in Germany during the re-
view year left the automobile industry standing. The
Federal Government publicly encouraged a slowdown
in vehicles sales by increasing VAT. Many customers
may also be discouraged by possible amendments
to road tax. Despite these difficult market conditions,
Porsche managed a slight improvement on the pre-
vious year’s high delivery volume of 14,014 units,
achieving deliveries of 14,046 vehicles.
The 911 series was particularly successful in the
2006/07 fiscal year. Deliveries were up ten percent
on the very high prior-year volume, reaching 6,945
units. The high demand for the prestigious 911 Turbo
and 911 GT3 contributed to growth. The Boxster and
Cayman held their own in a very hard-fought market
segment. With a total of 3,552 units, deliveries of
both models were only slightly below the prior-year
figure.
Although the new Cayenne SUV was only available
from the end of February 2007, deliveries in this
model series remained relatively stable in comparison
with the previous year, at 3,540 units. This reflects
the success of the intensive advance publicity cam-
paign which began in December 2006. As a result
of these activities, Porsche had already received a
very satisfactory number of orders even several
weeks before actual sales began.
The Porsche dealership organization continues to
make significant investments in brand architecture.
As a result, during this review year five of the 85
Porsche dealerships in Germany were renovated or
newly built. Confidence in future growth of the brand
is further fuelled by the ongoing popularity of motor
sports in Germany. The two race series, the ‘Por-
sche Carrera Cup’ and ‘Porsche Sports Cup’, continue
to pull in the crowds. During the 2006 season, more
than 1,200 drivers took part in the semi-professional
‘Sports Cup’.
Great Britain: Well-equipped for the Future
Porsche Cars Great Britain almost matched the high
delivery volume of the previous year with a total of
9,104 customer deliveries – even though market con-
ditions were difficult on the island throughout the
review year. Nevertheless, Great Britain and Ireland
remain the third most important market for Porsche
after North America and Germany. The proportion
of total sales accounted for by sports car models is
remarkably high, at more than 82 percent. The at-
tractiveness of the 911 Turbo and 911 GT3 played
an important role in enabling the 911 series to once
again achieve the excellent sales volume of the
previous year with 3,336 units delivered.
The record performance of the Boxster series in the
previous fiscal year was almost repeated, with 4,168
units. The slight decline in sales of the Boxster was
more than compensated by the Cayman, with 1,964
units delivered. The Cayman S once again was a par-
ticular hit. The Cayenne held its own on the market.
After receiving a boost thanks to the introduction of
the second generation model, 1,597 units were de-
livered in the review year, despite the model change.
In addition to its sales activities, Porsche Cars Great
Britain initiated a variety of mid- and long-term pro-
jects. Along with the expansion and intensive prepara-
tion of the dealer network for the Panamera, several
million pounds were invested in further development
of the ‘Porsche Driving Experience’ events. This re-
view year alone, 9,000 people took advantage of the
Porsche Sport Driving School, the Porsche Travel
Club and the ‘Depositor Program’ for new customers.
For the seventh time in a row, the Porsche Retail
Group’s own dealer operations in the Greater London
area were ranked first place for their profitability and
efficiency in the highly-respected AM100 perform-
ance review. These five Porsche Centers alone ac-
counted for 27 percent of all sales in Great Britain.
There are 34 Porsche dealers in total in Great Britain
and Ireland.
Italy: Continued Growth
Porsche once again managed to clearly overtake the
record deliveries of the previous year’s 5,270 units
in Italy this review year, reporting deliveries of 5,458