Grief in Porsche Land

S Will the people in Bad Homburg soon drive to work with a rusty Polo? Or even park bicycles in front of their villas? But what would the neighbors say? In short: how should the rich of the Republic without luxury cars of Porsche Life?

Hanna Decker

Corinna Budras

Editor in economics and for Frankfurter Allgemeine.

The Friday of the F.A.Z. researched story, according to which the sports car manufacturer Porsche temporarily no longer sells new cars in Europe , has met with an overwhelming response. Customers who are interested in a new model have the choice – either to take a model with soon-obsolete exhaust technology, to move to America (where the carts are still sold there) or to wait months for the car of their dreams. On the SUV Cayenne and the sedan Panamera at least until March 2019. With selected models of the 911 sports car, it could indeed be back in September, something promises a Porsche spokesman on demand in a hurry. Unfortunately, the convertible season is already over.

“Mahnwache for Porsche on Sunday”

The news also caused a stir in social networks. “Shock in Bad Homburg”, it said on Twitter. “Mahnwache for Porsche on Sunday at 13 clock in the city of Düsseldorf”. Or: “In Munich tomorrow commemorative march. Transparencies are printed. ”

In fact, the mourning should remain a purely West German phenomenon. A look in the Stock figures of the Federal Motor Transport Authority is pretty clear. Three times you can guess in which state most of the Porsche drivers live. Exactly, in the country. 52 people in Baden-Württemberg come to ten thousand inhabitants who own a Porsche. Even in Hamburg, whose inhabitants are known to be plagued by the first diesel bans on driving, a very large proportion of the population will be annoyed (45 Porsche drivers per 10,000 inhabitants), closely followed by Bavaria (43) and – well, thank the Taunus – in Hesse (42).

Now one can argue, well, who works a lot, should also be able to afford his Porsche. And in fact, statistics show that where people earn a lot, they drive more often Porsche. In Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Bavaria, the gross domestic product is well over € 40,000 per person, in Hamburg even more than € 60,000. Only in the small Bremen is modest: Although the North Germans earn more than 46,000 euros per person per year, only 21 out of 10,000 Bremer afford a Porsche. Chapeau.

And if you’ve always been aware that only old men drive Porsche anyway – then you’re absolutely right. Only 15 percent of the owners are female. 25 percent are older than 60 – and only 1 percent under 30.