- Porsche plans a new U.S. headquarters in Atlanta by late 2013.
- Expansion of Leipzig plant in Germany is necessary to accommodate the new Cajun.
- A new wind tunnel and design center is to be built at the Weissach HQ.
- Porsche intends to add 200 new dealers by 2015.
STUTTGART, Germany — Wolfgang Leimgruber, Porsche board member for production and logistics, has confirmed more details of the company's expansion. This will include a new headquarters for Porsche in the United States and a significant expansion of the auto plant in Leipzig, Germany.
In late 2013, Porsche will open a new U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, built at a cost of $80-$100 million. Situated close to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, the facility will include a 1.6-mile test track, mimicking the "Experience Centers" already offered in Germany, China and the U.K. More than 400 people will eventually be employed at the HQ that will bring together sales, after-sales and financial services.
The Porsche plant in Leipzig, which currently builds the Panamera and Cayenne, will be expanded to accommodate the new Cajun entry-level SUV. One-thousand new people will be employed to produce the car that Leimgruber hopes will attract "new, young Porsche buyers."
One hundred new engineers will be employed at the global HQ in Weissach as part of a €150M ($214 million) investment in a new wind tunnel and design center. And there will be 200 new dealers by 2015, bringing the total number of Porsche dealers to 900 worldwide.
Porsche's global sales rose 13 percent in the first quarter of this year, with turnover rising 10 percent and the company achieving a "double-digit return." Leimgruber said that "Porsche will not compromise its exclusivity as it seeks to remain the most profitable car brand in the world."
Inside Line says: Porsche's extraordinary success shows no sign of relenting. — Alistair Weaver, European Correspondent
Add A Comment »
jm1212 says:
08:01 AM, 05/18/2011
so is the larger version of the Cayenne going to be the Cardamom or the Coriander?
nasahrsandi9 says:
05:11 AM, 05/18/2011
The front is a little ugly to me, and it looks to much like a cayenne.
j33p says:
03:53 PM, 05/17/2011
I am curious as to the pricing of the Cajun... I hope it comes in somewhere in the mid 40's or under.