Porsche

2012 Porsche 911 Previewed

By Paul Seredynski August 23, 2011

Porsche released images today of its new 2012 911 sports coupe. The update to the iconic German sportscar (internal codename: 991) will get its public debut in three weeks at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Porsche claims the ever evolving 911 has been "completely redesigned," and it now presents a flatter, more stretched silhouette. Though basic width/length dimensions remain unchanged, the new 911 (above) gets a 3.9-inch longer wheelbase and a lower roof. The front track has also been widened, the trademark wheel arches will contain 20-inch wheels, and the side mirrors have moved to the upper edge of the more

Porsche Gains On Strong Cayenne Sales

By Michelle Krebs August 1, 2011

Porsche profits increased 59 percent in the first half on strong sales of its Cayenne sport utility vehicle in markets across the globe. Porsche’s performance outpaced analysts’ expectations in terms of profits, sales and profit margins. Porsche’s operating profit -- earnings before interest and taxes -- climbed to 1.07 billion Euros ($1.54 billion) from 675 million Euros in the 2010 first half. Porsche provides neither net profit figures nor quarterly reports. The company did say its return on sales was nearly 21 percent in the first half, making it the world’s most profitable major automaker. Revenue rose 19 percent more

Porsche Bests Toyota In Supplier Relations

By AutoObserver Staff July 15, 2011

Relations between automakers and automotive suppliers have deteriorated globally in the last year, according to results of the 2011 Supplier Relationship survey conducted by IHS Automotive. And despite its own deterioration with its suppliers, Porsche still overtook Toyota and Honda for the top ranking. Chrysler and Skoda were the only automakers to show improvement. The IHS study, which surveys automotive suppliers, and measures the performance of global carmakers in managing their relationships with their suppliers, shows that ratings have fallen by 7.6 percent on average between 2010 and 2011, marking a return to 2009 levels. more

2011 Porsche Cayenne S: Business Drive

By Paul Seredynski June 30, 2011

It seems Porsche is finally starting to get some respect for the Cayenne. Though originally derided by Porsche enthusiasts when introduced in March 2003, profits from the 4-door SUV essentially saved the sportscar maker from extinction, and almost allowed Porsche to take over the world (well, Volkswagen anyway). The Great Recession instead put Porsche in Volkswagen’s quiver, no threat to the Cayenne, as it already shared a platform with Volkswagen’s Touareg and Audi Q7. Now in its second generation, the Cayenne continues to bolster Porsche’s bottom line while offering a real driver’s machine in the SUV category. We recently more

As Larger Models Take Over, Porsche's Not Worried

By Bill Visnic May 25, 2011

First it was the Cayenne, in 2003, as the Porsche everyone loved to hate. As sales for the high-performance SUV shouldered past Porsche's traditional sports cars (911, Boxster/Cayman), detractors cried "shark-jump!!" Porsche had sold out. Though not a new charge -- the company had to deal with a yuppie-totem image it acquired in the disco era -- Porsche cleverly blunted the criticism by reminding enthusiasts that profits from the Cayenne (above) assured continuing liberal investments in its "proper" model lines. Now Porsche has new image-control issues to manage. more

Porsche Markets 911 As Everyday Car

By Dale Buss March 29, 2011

Sports-car brands have spent decades gilding perceptions of their vehicles as hyper-exciting transports to fantasy fulfillment, as heedlessly expensive toys whose only important attributes were horsepower, torque and maybe coefficient of drag. But in a new marketing campaign for its slow-selling 911, Porsche seeks to turn that elitist notion upside down – or at least a bit cockeyed. more

Industry Looks for Sales-Pumping Buzz from Detroit Auto Show

By Bill Visnic January 7, 2011

"Somber" might best describe the atmosphere of the past two Detroit auto shows, the international auto show that opens and often sets the tone for the new year. Automakers aren't prepping for a re-visit of the rollicking Detroit-show days when the industry was booming along at 16 million-plus sales, SUVs were smashing through plate-glass walls and cattle were driven on downtown-Detroit's Jefferson Avenue, but the 11-percent U.S. sales rebound in 2010 is enough to maybe lift the cloud that's hung over the domestic automakers' hometown auto show. At least a bit. more

VW Extends CEO Winterkorn's Contract

By Michelle Krebs January 4, 2011

Volkswagen has extended the contract of CEO Martin Winterkorn, one of AutoObserver's newsmakers of 2010, for another five years, in order to complete the merger with Porsche. Winterkorn became CEO in early 2007; his contract was to expire at the end of this year. His new contract runs through year-end 2016. The contract extension is seen as a vote of confidence by VW's board that Winterkorn has the automaker on the right track.  Winterkorn has boldly embraced his company's full intention to become the global top dog in sales by 2018. He backed that up by building VW's first more

Carmakers Keep Lid on Cautious Optimism at L.A. Auto Show

By Danny King November 19, 2010

In Garrison Keillor's fictional Lake Wobegon, all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average. Talk to executives at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public for nine days starting tomorrow, and you might come away with the same impression. Carmakers generally touted their market-share gains, increased popularity of their newest models and their own technology to best address the mandate of increasingly stringent fuel economy standards. But their forecast for the broad industry's near-term prospects? Meh. more