Dubai Porsche dealer races to global record

Porsche Dubai enjoyed the best month for car deliveries of any worldwide showroom in August, bucking the recent economic gloom. Watch video.

Porsche Centre Dubai. Jorge Ferrari / Porsche

Fast cars and big spending are back in vogue in Dubai, with Porsche enjoying its best month for deliveries during Ramadan.

Video:Fast cars and fast money

Rory Jones looks at how Porsche has notched up its best ever performance anywhere in the world in Dubai.

Porsche Centre Dubai, part of Al Nabooda Automobiles, delivered 211 new cars to customers last month, the strongest performance for any Porsche showroom globally, the company said.

"Our increasing sales figures prove that the Porsche brand is growing significantly in the UAE," said Vijay Rao, the general manager of Porsche Centre Dubai. "In combination, I believe the retail market for passenger cars in general has also grown slightly."

In the first eight months of this year, deliveries of Porsche cars were 46 per cent higher than in the same period last year, indicating a booming market in Dubai that is bucking the recent economic gloom.

"Our typical target group is immensely diverse, including both young and old, male and female with interest in sports, luxurious goods all the way to aficionados and collectors," said Mr Rao.

Dubai beat its own worldwide record of 207 new car deliveries, which it set in March 2008.

"I think regionally the market is recovering. The Middle East is doing really well," said Pierluigi Bellini, the associate director at IHS Automotive, a global consultancy.

Retailers and car dealerships across the UAE have reported strong growth in sales this year, with many companies' sales exceeding last year's, often by more than 20 per cent.

Mr Bellini cautioned that deliveries of Porsche cars did not necessarily translate directly to sales in August because some customers might have bought their cars in the months before 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, accounting for 63 per cent of all deliveries, followed by the Panamera at 26 per cent.

Porsche recently announced the arrival of the Panamera Turbo S and will launch the latest 911 model early next year.