Porsche Middle East and Africa sold a record yearly high of 7,949 vehicles in the region in 2011, marking an increase of 16 per cent over the sales figures for 2010.

The highlight of the record-breaking year was August – which was Porsche Middle East’s best ever sales month; with 924 vehicles being delivered to customers.

Globally, Porsche is also celebrating a new delivery record in 2011: 118,867 vehicles were sold worldwide; a 22.2 per cent increase compared with the year before.

“2010 was already a record breaking year for us, but the 2011 performance has surpassed even that,” said George Wills, managing director of Porsche MEA.

“Back in August, we celebrated our best month ever, and I hoped that 2011 overall would be a good year, but this is a fantastic tribute to the hard work of our importers; to the excellence of the brand in the region, and most of all, to the trust our customers continue to place in Porsche.”

With the announcement of the new 911, Porsche has taken in more than 600 pre-orders, a statement said.

Despite the launch of the new version of the iconic 911 Carrera, sales of the existing model saw a 31 per cent increase in 2011.

The Porsche Cayenne saw a 35 per cent sales increase over 2010 figures, with a high number of pre-orders underlining the popularity of the Porsche high-performance SUV, which was the brand’s best selling model in 2011.

Despite run-out, the Boxster has proven to be an attractive model with an impressive 29 per cent increase over 2010, the statement said. Meanwhile, Cayman sales also increased by 29 per cent year-on-year.

Now in its third year here, the Porsche Panamera has seen double digit growth across the region compared to 2010, especially with the Turbo, Turbo S and strikingly sporty GTS (available in March this year) models impressing clients old and new.

“These figures speak for themselves. Porsche is well known, well-loved and highly desired across the region. Porsche is, and always will be, a strong lifestyle statement, and there’s no denying the brand is a legend,” Willis added.

“Those who buy a Porsche not only buy a vehicle, but they are buying into a rich history of automotive excellence; they are buying something which exudes passion; something which exceeds all their expectations of what a modern, intelligent sports car should be; while both preserving tradition and welcoming the future.”

Innovations that continue to impress customers include the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK), which offers seven automatic gears, shortening acceleration times. Compared to manual transmission, PDK offers lower fuel consumption, due to intelligent shifting strategy, according to the statement. – TradeArabia News Service