Porsche exec denies rumors of baby Cayenne and 928-sucessor

Porsche is planning to expand its operations considerably over the next couple of years by hiring up to 2,100 new employees and opening dozens of new dealers in emerging markets such as China and Russia. However, don't expect to see any major model launches as the only car Porsche marketing exec Klaus Berning is willing to comment on is the new Panamera sedan due next year.

Speaking with Auto Motor und Sport, Berning explained that executives haven’t discussed adding a smaller SUV model positioned below the Cayenne. Despite his comments, last week spy images of a mysterious compact Cayenne surfaced leading to suggestions that a new smaller Porsche SUV has been given the green light. Berning also denied rumors of a new coupe model based on the Panamera, a potential successor to the original 928 GT, explaining that Porsche is concentrating on the successful launch of the new four-door and is already stretched to its limit.

Porsche will also expand its dealer numbers from the current 650 stores worldwide to around 700 in the medium term. Currently Porsche only has 19 dealers in China but this will more than double in coming years.

The introduction of the Panamera will also see Porsche’s sales expand by roughly 20,000 units per year, however Berning expects it to cannibalize some sales of the Cayenne so annual sales should remain close to the current 100,000 annual level.

2010 Porsche Panamera renderings

Porsche baby Cayenne spy shots