Porsche has witnessed an unprecedented surge in sales in the important and dynamic Indian market. In 2022, the sports car manufacturer recorded a remarkable 64 per cent growth over the previous 12 months, with 779 retail sales, more than half of which were made up by the Cayenne luxury SUV.
Last month saw the official opening of five new Porsche showrooms around the country in a single week, revealing Porsche’s rapid expansion of its retail network in the region to respond to the significant increase in demand. Two all-new showrooms were opened in Bengaluru and Chennai alongside newly renovated sites in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. In Kolkata there was an addition of a new dealer partner. The expansion brings the total number of Porsche Centres in India to eight, alongside the Porsche Studio in Delhi, which opened at the start of 2021.
Dr Manfred Bräunl, Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, says the latest roll out is an example of the assurances made by Porsche India to exceed customer expectations. “India is an important market for Porsche,” says Bräunl. “Porsche is the fastest growing automotive luxury brand in India over the last few years, which makes network development a particular priority. The expansion of our Indian network underlines that customer centricity is at the core of our strategy for this market.”
New Porsche Centres offer an immersive experience
The new Porsche Centres will offer visitors an immersive experience that showcases Porsche’s history as well as its innovations in engineering, safety, performance, connectivity and efficiency. These sites will set the theme for future locations across the sub-continent, catering to a larger market, including three new dealers appointed last year as part of a roadmap to future growth.
Earlier this year the International Monetary Fund projected India to be the fastest-growing economy, with 6.1 per cent growth expected in 2023. The rapid pace is set to more than double the number of US dollar millionaires in the region, according to Credit Suisse’s Global Wealth Report 2022.
In order to raise brand awareness in India, which recently surpassed Japan to become the third largest automotive market, Porsche has invested in a wide range of projects. In late 2022 it used two race tracks – The Buddh International Circuit in the north of India and Kari Motor Speedway in the south – for several weeks to give existing and prospective customers the opportunity to experience the brand’s high-performance models away from the busy local highways. In total they engaged with more than 450 participants. In early 2023, the sports car manufacturer then took an exclusive wave of 45 VIP customers to Finland for the Porsche Ice Driving Experience for the first time.
‘Festival of Dreams’ in India
Porsche India celebrated the 75th anniversary of the iconic brand at the start of this year with its own ‘Festival of Dreams’, a diverse two-day showcase, which was attended by 170 journalists, 500 customers and more than 1,800 Porsche fans. “We’ve put in a lot of effort over the last few years to give the Indian market the attention it deserves, given its incredible growth potential, and that effort is becoming visible in these very positive sales numbers,” says Bräunl. “We are looking forward to welcoming more enthusiasts to the Porsche brand in the near future, as we build a strong and vibrant Porsche community in India.”