Porsche on a roll in Korea, posts biggest sales in 2020

German luxury car brand Porsche had its best year in Korea in 2020, selling a record number of vehicles, the company said Thursday.

Porsche Korea’s 2020 sales surpassed 1 trillion won ($900 million) for the first time since it set up a business presence here in 2014.

With 7,779 units sold, South Korea was the automaker’s fifth-largest market in terms of annual sales, following China, North America, Germany and the UK, the company said.

“Last year was a milestone, as more exciting new products that reflect the brand’s future drivetrain strategies of ‘efficient petrol-engined cars,’ ‘high-performance hybrids’ and ‘purely electric models’ were all introduced,” Holger Gerrmann, chief of the Korean unit, told a media conference at its new office in Gangnam, Seoul.

Aiming to carry that upward momentum in business, Porsche Korea is planning to introduce new models to the local market, while strengthening its customer care service, Gerrmann said.

“2021 is a year of change for Porsche Korea, having entered the e-mobility era with the launch of the Taycan, and where in the new office we lay the foundation for the brand’s sustainable growth.” The Taycan is the carmaker’s first pure electric model, which was launched in Korea in November last year.

Porsche Korea is also off to a good start this year, selling 2,573 units in the first quarter, which is a growth of 86.7 percent on-year, the CEO added.

This year, the automaker will be launching a series of new vehicles and will be strengthening its customer care service, adding and renovating its service centers across the country, the CEO said.

In addition to the 718 GTS 4.0 and the face-lifted Panamera that were launched earlier this year, it plans to release the Taycan Turbo S, Turbo and rear-wheel drive model.

The Boxster 25 Years, a limited-edition anniversary model, and the GT model 911 GT3 with motorsport technology are also ready for launch this year, along with the top performing Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and 718 Cayman GT4, the company said.

Porsche Korea is also preparing for the domestic launch of the Taycan Cross Turismo, which is the automaker‘s first cross utility vehicle and second pure electric vehicle to be introduced after the Taycan.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)