Porsche Opens Showroom In New Delhi
Having started construction work earlier this year, Porsche has opened a new showroom at Hotel Ashok, located in New Delhi. Construction of this centrally located showroom started in early 2010. The opening of the 4,000 square feet Porsche Centre marks their third showroom in India yet the company has affirmed that there are more to come in places like Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The showroom will display all the models from the line up including the new Cayenne while there will be six sales consultants to incessantly support consumers in their choices and decisions. New Delhi: - Porsche has a new home with in India is burgeoning market for exclusive cars.
Now completed, the site is home to the whole Porsche product range and including the newest arrival- the new Porsche Cayenne. This new edition completes a perfectly poised style range. With the opening of Porsche Centre in New Delhi, Porsche is following its approach to set-up high-quality dealerships in India enabling the car manufacturer to offer its customers a high-end product with uncompromising repair standards. Speaking at the opening, Ashish Chordia, M.D. of Porsche India, said, "It has always been our Endeavour to build an exclusive retail facility in New Delhi, which will offer a premium experience. We’re very proud of our achievements & look forward to offering our customers outstanding service in modern facility." He advertise, “Porsche will increase its presence across India with operations to be opened in Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kochi & Ahmadabad “India is a promising market with a fantastic outlook,” Deesch Papke said, M.D. of Porsche Middle East and Africa."In our entire region we’ve enjoyed continuous growth over the previous decade & we’re certain that with the newly opened Porsche Centre New Delhi, we have realised the next crucial step for an even brighter future in this marketplace.”
Porsche Launches All New Cayenne In India
Porsche launches the new Cayenne diesel in India with a very aggressive sticker price of Rs 59lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. The new 3.0-litre 240bhp V6 Cayenne diesel now sports a cleaner and sportier design theme. Longer and sleeker than before, the new Cayenne is the lighter and a more efficient replacement for the pervious model. Porsche has priced the new diesel Cayenne on par with the competitors. The Porsche competes against the monster Audi Q7 retailing at Rs 55.35lakh and the BMW X5 priced at Rs 56.50lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).
The new Cayenne weighs an incredible 185kg less than the outgoing model. The key factor for this, apart from using more aluminium, is that Porsche has swapped the old six-speed gearbox with its 4x4 transfer case for an all-new eight-speeder which alone accounted for 60kg plus saving. The interiors are equally impressive and again a dramatic improvement over the previous car. The overall quality is amazing and a massive step up from the previous Cayenne. There is a 40mm increase in wheelbase which has freed up more legroom at the back and it also gets modest boot space at 670-litres.
Along with the diesel variant, Porsche has also launched the Hybrid Cayenne. It gets a supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the gearbox. The overall power output is 375bhp, while the peak torque of 59kgm is available from 1000rpm. The hybrid also has the capability to coast with the engine off and disconnected from the transmission at speeds up to 150kph. Porsche has managed to sell 94 units in total last year in India and the SUV accounts for around 80% of its total sales. In order to achieve maximum customer outreach, the company is ramping up its dealership network across the country and will have 10 dealers by the year end. Porsche has also introduced a 24-hour help line number for its customers.
[Via: AutoCarIndia]
Porsche Recalls Panamera
Porsche is recalling certain 2010 Panamera S, 4s and Turbo 4-door sedans and this is not for being ugly. If the front seats are adjusted towards an extreme position, resulting in unfavorable tolerance of the mating components, it is possible that the function of the locking mechanism of the seat belt mount can no longer be guaranteed.
The seat belt mount could detach from the anchoring system when the seat belt is fastened or opened. In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not provide adequate protection for the seat occupant, which may increase the risk of injury or death. Dealers will have an additional locking element installed on the seat belt anchoring system for both front seats. This service will be performed free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule.
[Via: AutocarIndia]
Porsche 918 Spyder buyers line up
There are almost 900 Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid prototype buyers already lined up, according to reports. Porsche unveiled the 918 Spyder at the Geneva motor show last month, and will give the car the production go-ahead once it has 1000 pledges of interest, Porsche's development chief, Wolfgang Duerheimer, told the Bloomberg news agency.
"I'm confident that we will soon reach the threshold of 1000," said Duerheimer. "We need 1000 seriously interested people to make a sound business case."
Duerheimer also confirmed that Porsche's product strategy for the medium term will be confirmed in the next six months, after talks with VW on platform and parts sharing were complete. "We're very optimistic that we'll be able to further expand our leading position in the sports-car segment," he said.
The 918 Spyder is powered by 493bhp V8 engine and electric drive-systems allowing the vehicle to go up to 15.6 miles on electric power alone.
[Via: AutocarIndia]
Porsche India Plans To Sell 50 Panamera In 2009
Porsche plans to sell 50 units of the Panamera in India this year. The Porsche Panamera will be launched by 3rd October. The Panamera's price will range from Rs 1.4 crore to Rs. 2 crore. Porsche has already secured 13 bookings of the 4 door sports sedan. Porsche has sold around 650 cars since its entry into India three years ago. However, 65% of the sales came from the Porsche Cayenne.
Porsche had set up a new plant in Germany exclusively to manufacture about 20,000 units of the Panamera. Total production at its German plant has declined from 98,000 units (in 2008) to 80,000 units this year due to the recession. Indian operations contribute only a meagre percentage of global sales while the US, Europe, China and the Middle East are the big markets.
[Via: globalmotors]
Qatar now Holds a Stake in Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart, and Qatar Holding LLC (QH) signed an agreement signaling the entry of the Emirate of Qatar into the Porsche SE family. In the afternoon, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche SE, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, welcomed the delegation from Qatar led by Prime Minister of the Emirate, Sheik Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabir Al-Thani, to the historical Porsche Villa located on Killesberg Hill outside of Stuttgart. There, in the presence of the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Günther Oettinger, the two men signed two contractual agreements.
The Prime Minister of the Emirate of Qatar signed the purchase agreement with which Qatar will acquire ten percent of the ordinary shares of Porsche SE. As spokespersons for the family shareholders, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche and Hans Michel Piëch also signed the agreement. The second agreement, which provides for the takeover by the Emirate of a major share in the cash settled options relating to Volkswagen shares, was signed by Ahmad Al Sayed, CEO of Qatar Holding, and Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, Michael Macht, as well as his Deputy Chairman, Thomas Edig, who are both members of the Executive Board of Porsche SE.
Sheik Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabir Al-Thani emphasized that Qatar considers itself a strategic investor who has great interest in the long-term positive development of Porsche. "Porsche ranks among the most valuable automobile brands in the world. We are proud to be a part of this sports car manufacturer and its rich tradition and history. Through our trust-based collaboration with the family shareholders, we will help ensure that the success story of Porsche, and, in the future, of Volkswagen continues to be written," explained the Prime Minister.
[Via: CW]
Hybrid From Porsche in India
Porsche is now also going the hybrid way. For its two bestselling products in its portfolio in India, SUV Cayenne and the Panamera sedan, the company is ready to introduce the hybrid versions soon. "The hybrid version of the Cayenne will go on sale in late 2010. We do not have the exact dates for an India launch yet," said Ashish Chordia, CEO of Precision Cars India, the official importer of Porsche in India.
Porsche is planning to develop an engine that will deliver a fuel economy of 11km per litre on the Cayenne hybrid as well. This is 25 per cent more than the current efficiency of 6km per litre in cities and 8.9 km per litre on highways. The hybrid models the Panamera hybrid version will roll out in second half of 2011.
Porsche is also making its luxury cars even more luxurious. It is offering to build its sedan Panamera as per customer's choice, so that the car will make you feel right at home! It is offering customization options to its customers like Silver Grey or Indian Red seat belts, Yatching Mahogany interiors, refrigerated compartments between the back seats that comes with two glasses with Porsche's logo and much more.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Porsche Books 13 Units of Panamera
Porsche is ready to launch the Panamera model in India. It has already received 13 confirmed bookings of the model. The company is facing severe sales decline in the West, especially in Europe, which is its major market. It is now eyeing Asian markets to boost grappling sales. The company has indeed a small market share in the country and still needs to make its presence felt in the Indian auto market.
Precision Motors in Mumbai are the official importers of Porsche cars in India. They expect to sell at least 50 cars this year of which 13 are already booked so far. Panamera is expected to hit the streets by October-end 2009.
The luxury sedan will be available in its top versions with a V8 power unit and luxurious features, with its price estimated to be retailed in the range Rs. 1.4 crore to Rs. 2 crore (depending on the variants) and would be imported as a CBU from Porsche's plant in Germany. The company currently sells 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne models in India.
[Via: cartradeindia]
Porsche to Merge With Volkswagen
Porsche, the German luxury sports car maker has decided to merge with Volkswagen. Volkswagen would acquire a 49.9 per cent stake in Porsche at the moment and will acquire the remaining share in the near future. This will help Porsche pay off most of its debt, which is considerably over € 10 billion.
Porsche's Chief Executive Officer, Wendelin Wiedeking who led the company for sixteen years is leaving paving way for Michael Macht, the production chief in Porsche. His decision clears the way for a merger with Volkswagen AG as he strongly opposed this move. It is also revealed that Porsche will seek to raise funds possibly from a Qatar based investor too. All this will create the foundation of building an integrated car manufacturing group with Porsche SE and Volkswagen AG.
Porsche announced the moves after an all-night meeting on its future that saw the board agree to seek a capital increase of at least € 5 billion and discussion with a Qatar investment fund. Negotiations have been going with a Qatar based investment fund and the supervisory board of Porsche agreed to sign a deal with it. The global economic crisis put the brakes on luxury car sales which hampered Porsche's push to increase its VW stake to 75 per cent and take full control.
The families that own Porsche, the Pieches and Porsches, would control 50 percent of the new VW-Porsche group, the state of Lower Saxony would have a share of 20 percent and the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar would take a stake of between 14.9 and 19.9 percent. The grandfathers of Wolfgang Porsche, the chairman of Porsche are Ferdinand Piech, former chairman of Volkswagen and Ferdinand Porsche, the famous designer of the Beetle.
[Via: carazoo]
Porsche Wins Best New Engine 2009 Award
Porsche's direct injection 3.8-litre flat six has taken 'Best New Engine of the Year' at the 2009 International Engine of the Year awards. The engine was commended by the judges for managing to attain an increase in power through greater capacity while achieving reduced fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Porsche's new engine beat BMW's 3-litre '30d' suffix twin-turbocharged diesel and their petrol 4.4 litre turbo V8 as fitted to the X6 xDrive 5.0i, Jaguar's supercharged V8, Mercedes' BlueEfficiency diesels and Audi's 2.0 litre TFSI motor.
Overall winner of the 2009 award was VW's 1.4 litre twin-charged motor, set to make its performance debut later this year in the new Ibiza FR and Cupra, while 'Performance Engine of the Year' and 'Above 4-litre' honours both went to AMG's 6.2 litre V8.
[Via: motorbeam]