Sri Lankan’s rich and educated youths go for design, sportiness and elegance of cars
View(s):Sri Lankan youths with a high level of education as well as a high level of income attach great importance to design, sportiness and elegance, and expect outstanding driving dynamics characteristics from Porsche, says a top official of Eurocars (Pvt) Ltd.
Eurocars (Pvt) Ltd, the official Porsche importer in Sri Lanka, launched the new Porsche at the Laksala Museum Gallery recently. The fifth model of Porsche product line, the all new Macan, is the sports car of the compact SUV segment. A Porsche through and through, the Macan is setting benchmarks in terms of driving dynamics and enjoyment – both on paved streets and off-road terrain.
The Macan brings together the most powerful engine range in its class with the sporty seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) and one of the finest drive systems in the world – Porsche Traction Management (PTM) in conjunction with a sporty mix of tyres, fitted as standard. In launching the Macan, Porsche now offers sporty all-wheel-drive vehicles across an unprecedented range, company officials said.
Chairman of Eurocars (Pvt) Ltd, Arthur Senanayake said, “With the arrival of the all new Porsche Macan, we are excited to offer the sports car of the compact SUV to the Sri Lankan market, which opens up another entry into the exclusive world of Porsche. We are confident that the Macan will contribute further to the success of the Porsche brand.”
Business Times contacted Alexandria Senanayake, Managing Director of the company via e-mail to find out the Sri Lankan market responses on new Porsche car series.
In this e-mail interview she outlined the present trend for Porsche in the local market and the demand for SUVs and sport car line-up and design inspiration in general. Asked with Sri Lanka’s car market being down at present but demand being retained for hybrid cars, whether there is a market response for new Porsche Macan, she said:
“A hybrid version is possible for the Macan; however, currently no precise point in time has been envisaged. For the Macan model series introduction, we are currently offering 3 petrol variants in Sri Lanka. The top model in the range, the Macan Turbo is equipped with a 3.6-litre V6 biturbo engine and delivers an output of 400 hp, the Macan S is equipped with a 3-litre V6 biturbo engine and delivers an output of 340 hp, whilst the Macan is fitted with a 2-litre 4 cylinder inline engine delivering an output of 237 hp.”
She said, “In the past, our bestselling model has been the Cayenne S Hybrid (starting price at Rs. 24 million) but now with the introduction of the Macan, we are excited to be able to open up another entry point into the exclusive world of Porsche. With this new model we hope to attract a new segment of customers to the brand. The all-inclusive starting price of a Porsche Macan is Rs. 19 million and includes a 4 year warranty programme”.