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Article: Porsche's Panamera starts well, but segment is iffy.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Automotive News
- Article date:
- November 2, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Diana T. Kurylko
With 983 firm orders at launch, Porsche's new four-door Panamera is breathing life into the brand and will help the company record flat or slightly increased sales this year, said Michael Bartsch, COO of Porsche Cars North America.
"We now have a new level of floor traffic and inquiry, and there is a multiplier effect, Bartsch said in an interview. "This is bringing a level of business back to the dealerships and is allowing them to start the process of recovering.
Porsche's overall sales in the United States were down 32 percent to 14,310 units through September after declining 25 percent in all of 2008 to 26,035 ...