So I put this together from PCNA monthly reports and figure I'd share my findings. Depending on how you look at the numbers, you could say that 991 is indeed off to a rocky start. But I think it really depends on which time period you chose as a baseline. Sales have fallen sharply since the crisis in mid-2008. Compared to post-2008 figures, sales actually look fairly decent. At the same time, if you compare sales to pre-crisis, its a different story. Finally, its worth consideration that cayenne has been fairly steadily selling better than pre-crisis.

See attached image for the chart of carrera sales history

 

there is no surpise here. 2009 was a tough year for everyone. pre-own sales went up and new sales went down. porsche reduced inventory and cut down on production vol.

launch of 997.2 and 991 boosted sales as each introduced additional level of comfort and modern electronics. car biz is also seasonal so a dip in recent months reflects that.

 

I think Porsche has kind of rethought its philosophy in the last few years too. Past president Wendelin Wiedeking was a bit too ambitious, just a few years ago vowing to buy VW. We all know how that worked out. I believe new management feels that the company can still be profitable without over reaching sales goals.
Did anyone here besides me buy a Porsche circa 2006? When I bought my Cayman S late that year my local dealer had almost 30 of them and 15-20 911's. Market was good back then, but not that good. Deep discounts to move inventory were the rule of the day, so ultimate sales numbers probably looked good, but profit level (per unit) not so much.
I would guess PorscheUSA is pretty happy with 991 sales, and even more so with Cayenne and Panamera sales which make up the bulk of the brand. Boxster/Cayman has never sold as many as the 911, but with the new 981 series for those, 2013 should be a good year again.

PS: I do not subsribe to the "sky is falling" theory of US economics. Please leave politics out of this discussion of car company sales.

 

if sales are down, why raise prices on January 1, 2013?

 

To increase profit margins, adjust for inflation, or both

 

Where is the inflation in the US?

 

In the government ... Assume tax increases are standard of living adjustments and you got a bunch of inflation . like 10 % percent :-)

 

to me... it just looks like the 911 (996/997) is just following the economy. The 991 looks like it got a big initial boost from the new model. I could see it slowing back down to more normalized numbers.

 

pre-own sales went up and new sales went down. porsche reduced inventory and cut down on production vol.