Plus, the company's profit surge has coincided with the launch of its most affordable model. Hitting dealerships in 2014, the Macan crossover now accounts for roughly 40 percent of Porsche sales.
These days “the little tiger,” as they call the Macan around the shop, starts at a prosaic $47,500. But few people who spring for a Porsche settle for basic -- it’d be like going to a steakhouse and skipping the sides. The add-on Macan goodies step up as quickly as paddle-shifts on the car’s PDK transmission: big 21-inch wheels ($5,400), natural leather seats in “espresso” ($4,920), butt-warmers front and rear ($1,060), running boards ($1,250), sport tailpipes ($950), whitewashed oak trim ($1,790) and, naturally, a custom paint color to match your lover’s eyes ($6,520).
“We’re concentrating on delighted customers,” Oliver Blume, chairman of the Porsche executive board, said in a statement.
The whole process is customized and emotional, the goal of any luxury brand these days. People don’t just want a fancy scarf or an opulent handbag anymore; they want their fancy scarf, their ostrich-skin purse -- because, well, these days they can get it. TAG Heuer pitches its new smart watch as available in 4,000 configurations. The price range is $1,650 to $17,000. It's do-it-yourself market segmentation.
