Porsche's stunning 918 Spyder
Sales of Porsche sports cars used to be an economic barometer of sorts: good times, good sales; bad times, bad sales.
Porsche logged record global sales last year and is reportedly looking to develop a new supercar to continue the momentum, a flyer sitting above the 911 GT2 RS.
Bloomberg reports that sales chief Bernhard Maier said the carmaker was looking at options to broaden its line-up and sustain growth.
Such a supercar would fill the gap between the top-end 911 model GT2 RS and the 918 Spyder hybrid.
"There already are initial ideas that look very promising on paper," said Maier.
Porsche will boost production of a number of models as it seeks "to be able to serve our customers more quickly," Maier said. "First-half data show that we're growing almost consistently in all world markets and across all model lines."
The expansion comes as the US automotive market itself begins hiring again to ramp up production. It is growing much faster than the rest of the US economy. The US automotive industry's 12 per cent increase in jobs compares with a 0.2 per cent gain for the US economy.
Prospects for Porsche in the US, the company's biggest market, are "very positive," said Maier. Its US sales rose 42 per cent, to 15,542 vehicles through the first six months of 2011, after a 19 per cent June gain.
"The US market is still characterised by a degree of volatility that shouldn't be underestimated," Maier said. "In the coming years, growth is conceivable in the US to help return to levels seen before the crisis."
