2012-12-12 05:23:52
German luxury carmaker Porsche has said it has already beaten its annual record
for most cars sold.
It sold 128,978 cars worldwide in the 11 months to November - already beating
the 118,868 sports cars sold in the whole of last year.
Porsche marketing and sales chief Bernhard Maier said that last month alone was
up 39% on November 2011.
Demand came from China and the US, where there was 70% more demand for Porsches
last month than in 2011.
The demand from other countries has picked up slack for demand in recession-hit
Europe.
The result has been a 7.1% fall in car sales in Europe so far this year, with
some southern European markets seeing sales slump by about a fifth.
Premium carmakers, such as Porsche and BMW, and budget manufacturers, such as
Hyundai, are doing relatively well.
By contrast, mid-market players - such as Ford and General Motors' Opel and
Vauxhall units - are having a torrid time, suffering falling sales, profits and
market shares.
In July, German mass-market rival Volkswagen agreed a deal to pay 4.46bn euros
($5.6bn; 3.6bn) to buy the remaining 50.1% stake in Porsche it didn't already
own.
Volkswagen had acquired a 49.9% stake in Porsche in 2009.