The manufacturer of luxury automobiles and sports cars – Porsche SE is set to expand its operations in India. The Stuttgart, Germany based Porsche is planning to increase its presence in the automobile market in India. 

Porsche, which is known for its Cayenne SUV and sports cars like the 911, Boxster and Cayman, is presently selling its automobiles in India via import route. The company is now planning to expand the number of its dealerships to 11 beyond the present Delhi and Mumbai showrooms. 

The MD of Precision Cars India (official Porsche importer), Rod Wallace stated that the company is looking to boost its presence in the Indian market to make more and more Indian people to buy luxury brands from Porsche. He said, "India has a growing number of people who want to enjoy their success and are not shy of showing so by buying luxury cars.”

Wallace told that with its cars’ price ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, Porsche sold 168 automobiles in 2008, and the company is looking forward to lift the number to 200 units in the current year (2009). The company is looking to open new outlets in the cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Cochin and Ludhiana. Wallace said, "Our aim currently is not to go for volumes here but to increase our presence and network. The numbers will follow.”

Cayenne is the company’s most popular brand contributing around 70% of its total sales. Porsche is now planning to launch the diesel variant of the SUV, which was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show recently, in the Indian automobile market.

Wallace said, "The Cayenne Diesel is intended primarily for the European market but we saw a tremendous demand for the car from all over India. This has prompted us to get it here.” He disclosed that the company will roll out only 19 units of the model for sale in 2009, because of its limited production numbers.

When asked whether the company has any plans to start assembling its cars in India, considering the high duties on imports, Wallace replied that Porsche has no such plans. Wallace said, “We are a niche carmaker and manufacture them only in Germany. So there are no plans to assemble the cars in India."