Porsche demand reaches highest in Dubai

Fast cars and fast spending is back en vogue in Dubai after Porsche enjoyed its best ever month for sales during Ramadan - even better than the booming years of 2008. Porsche Centre Dubai, part of Al Nabooda Automobiles, delivered 211 new cars to customers in the month of August, which was the strongest performance ever for any Porsche showroom globally. "I think regionally the market is recovering, the Middle East is doing really well," said Pierluigi Bellini, associate director at IHS Automotive, a global car consultancy. Deliveries of Porsche cars this year are 46 per cent higher in the first eight months of the year, compared to the same period last year, indicating a healthy market in Dubai and bucking the recent worldwide economic gloom. Retailers and car dealerships across the UAE have reported strong growth in sales this year, with many companies enjoying robust sales growth compared to last year, often in excess of 20 per cent.Mr Bellini did caution that deliveries of Porsche cars did not necessarily translate directly to sales in the month of August, because some customers might have bought their cars in the months ahead of Ramadan. "Maybe Porsche are selling very well, but they might have also had a backlog in deliveries," he said.The Porsche Cayenne remains the top seller for the brand, contributing 63 per cent of all deliveries, followed by the five-door Panamera at 26 per cent.