Porsche has denied media reports in China that it is planning to produce an entry-level SUV there.
CEO Matthias Müller has said that although import restrictions in Asia and North America may force the company to consider the possibility of foreign production or assembly in the future, Porsche currently has no such plans.
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He added that for now the company’s production base would remain in Germany and that there are no plans to co-produce an SUV with Audi, as reported earlier. It does, however, ‘share’ its large Cayenne SUV, and that model’s Leipzig assembly plant, with parent Volkswagen’s Touareg.
Several domestic media outlets had reported Porsche was considering opening a Chinese factory producing new sports cars, and that the company might partner with Audi to produce an SUV.
The reports speculated that the entry-level SUV would be produced on local JV FAW-VW’s Audi Q5 small SUV production line and would borrow chassis, body and engine technology and parts from the Cayenne, Audi Q7 and Touareg.
Reports also quoted Müller as saying that Porsche is currently planning to move production of its models, including the upcoming new Cajun SUV, to China.
However, with group brands VW, Audi, Bentley and Skoda already in the Chinese market, the next most likely VW group member to make its debut in the country would be Seat which will make its maiden appearance at the Shanghai motor show in April.
The luxury SUV market continued to grow in China last year with Audi selling 32,000 Q5s and 11,000 Q7s, while Mercedes-Benz’s total SUV sales were just under 30,000 units. The SUV market as a whole experienced growth of 101.27% versus 2009, more then triple the rate of other cars.
