Porsche Sales Climb

Stuttgart-based carmaker Porsche is having a record year, with fiscal sales of its vehicles -- led by a surge in demand for the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle -- jumping a record 16 percent. The success of Porsche stands in stark contrast to other German car companies, including Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler, which are cutting back on production and looking for additional ways to save money. Sales of Porsche models in Germany rose from 13,226 to 15,299 for the fiscal period between July 2003 and 2004. By far, the Cayenne proved the most popular, with sales jumping 74 percent after a new six-cylinder version was introduced in January. Meanwhile, the classic Porsche Boxster and 911 sports car models were less popular, with sales dropping 17 percent and rising just 0.3 percent respectively. Porsche sales are expected to continue to climb after the introduction of a new generation of the latter two models later this year.