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Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday at Kintex, Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province (Porsche Korea) |
Porsche Korea CEO Holger Gerrmann vowed to gain further traction with sporty electric vehicles from South Korea, the carmaker’s sixth-biggest market, whose appetite for luxury cars is entering the fast lane.
“We successfully wrapped up 2022 with close to 9,000 sales volume. We were very humbled by the positive reception from the Korean customers,” said the CEO during an interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday on the sidelines of the Seoul Mobility Show that kicked off earlier in the day at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province. The sales volume figure was a 6.3 percent jump from a year earlier.
“Last year’s bestselling model was the Cayenne, but other models like Taycan showed strong results as well. Although it has been out in the Korean market for two to three years, it has topped the list of imported EVs for five consecutive months,” added Gerrmann, stressing the fast-growing interest here in high-end clean cars.
The midsized sports sedan Taycan is the German carmaker’s first battery-powered vehicle.
Under its electrification transition, Porsche aims to make EVs take up 80 percent of total sales by 2030. It will launch the electrified version of the midsized sport utility vehicle Macan and the convertible model 718 in 2024 and 2025-2026, respectively.
The CEO stressed that the upcoming EVs will not lack the carmaker’s distinctive sportiness, which is expected to be well-received by customers here.
“Korea is a super dynamic and fast-moving market that has a strong connection to heritage at the same time. This is similar to Porsche’s philosophy in that heritage is where we have a big strength, but we still look far ahead to shape the future of sports cars,” he said.
The Korean unit of the German carmaker aims to further engage with Korean market, tapping into the country’s cultural heritage of “cooperation” through Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
“(Our idea of social contribution) is rooted in the ‘dream’ of our founder Ferry Porsche, who couldn’t find the perfect sports car and decided to build it himself. I think this is an attitude that we should, as a company, promote on a wider scope to give other people the chance to dream,” the CEO said.
The company has been carrying out the Do Dream campaign, where it provides safer environments for schools and support for talented children to pursue their dreams in music, sports and other fields.
The Korean unit also boasted its bespoke program Sonderwunsch, which can tailor a one-of-a-kind Porsche with specific exterior and leather colors and stitch details that reflect the owner’s personal taste.
Last year, it exclusively designed the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo for K-pop sensation Blackpink’s Jennie, based on her selection ranging from the color of seats, stitches and wheels to Sonderwunsch logos.
Gerrmann, the former chief financial officer of Porsche Design Group, has been leading Porsche Korea since 2019. He also doubles as chairman of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
