Porsche defies tough times trends

Porsche sales in China jumped by over 60 per cent. Photo / Supplied

Times may be tough for the economies of the world, but the global pinch has yet to reach the Porsche-driving classes.

The luxury car giant sold a record 128,978 vehicles cars in the 11 months to November, beating the 118,868 sold in the whole of the previous year.

The boom has been driven by China where Porsche enjoyed sales growth of 63.4 per cent and in the United States, with a 71.4 per cent growth.

Europe, where overall car sales have fallen by more than 7 per cent overall, did not prove so fruitful, although Porsche still managed growth of 6.8 per cent.

The result is good news for Volkswagen, which completed a €4.46 billion ($7.1 billion) takeover of the car maker in July.

Bernhard Maier, the sales and marketing director at Porsche, said: "The fact we have already surpassed the previous year's result in November is no reason for us to rest on our laurels.

"On the contrary, it is an incentive to deliver maximum performance."

Jaguar Land Rover also posted record numbers, having sold sold 29,893 cars in November.

The Indian-owned car maker enjoyed a 14 per cent increase in sales on the same period a year earlier.

It is also carrying out a feasibility study to look at the possibility of making cars in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to tap that country's vast oil wealth.

-Independent