Porsche Panamera U.S. sales off to a good start

It seems like Porsche’s new four-door Panamera is off to a good start in the United States. According to Porsche Cars North America COO Michael Bartsch, the automaker has sold 983 units of the Panamera sedan, which went on sale in the U.S. on Oct. 17.

“We now have a new level of floor traffic and inquiry, and there is a multiplier effect,” Bartsch said in an interview with Automotive News. “This is bringing a level of business back to the dealerships and is allowing them to start the process of recovering.”

Bartsch would not provide a forecast as to how many Panamera units Porsche hopes to sell in the U.S. in 2010 due to uncertain market conditions. However, he did say that he expects to receive about 1,200 orders for the Panamera in the U.S. in 2009. In 2010, Porsche has plans to produce 20,000 Panamera units, with 4,000 to 6,000 for the U.S. market.

Porsche’s overall U.S. sales were down 32 percent to 14,310 units through the first nine months of 2009. In all of 2008, sales were down 25 percent to 26,035 units.

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2010 Porsche Panamera:

2010 Porsche Panamera

– By: Stephen Calogera