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New Delhi, March 1: Porsche AG, the maker of Boxter and 911 sports cars, will ride into India on its Cayenne sports-utility vehicle (SUV) to tap the growing number of people who can afford to buy premium hotrods.
The Germany-based auto maker, which relies on the US for about 40 per cent of its sales, may subsequently retail the Boxter and 911 sports cars, officials said.
“The Cayenne model will be available in India within the next two months,” said an official of Exclusive Motors, an auto dealer, which has been appointed by Porsche.
He said the four-wheel drive Cayenne would sport a sticker price of over Rs 50 lakh and will be available in three versions — V6 3.2-litre providing an output of 250 BHP and 4.6 S and 4.6 turbo which will be powered by a V8 engine.
The pricing shows that the models have been marked at almost a 100 per cent premium over those abroad.
The pricing guide — Kelley Blue Book — indicates a 2004 Cayenne S costs $56,665. With the addition of 115 per cent import duty, the total cost is Rs 29.9 lakh.
“Delhi is one of the country’s largest markets and so we expect to sell around five to seven units a month,” the official said.
Porsche’s arrival follows the entry of luxury car-maker, Bentley, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen, and the soon to-be-introduced 318i model from BMW.
Recently, Mercedes AG had introduced its Maybach model priced at an astronomical Rs 5 crore. All these models are being imported as fully-built units.
Analysts said the introduction of premium luxury cars strengthens the fact that India along with China holds tremendous promise and is one of the fastest-growing vehicle markets.
Last year, Porsche posted a 33.3 per cent increase in sales helped by the addition of the Cayenne, its first sports-utility vehicle (SUV). The auto maker sold 28,418 vehicles in the US, including 12,921 Cayennes.