limits to growth. Ferrari is increasing production slightly from its self-imposed cap of 7,000 vehicles a year and has hinted that production could eventually get to 10,000 without hurting the brand’s exclusivity. Aston Martin, which sold about 4,000 cars last year, sees the line much lower.
“This is not a car company that is ever going to be selling a lot of cars,” Andy Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, said in a recent interview. “Part of its mystique is the exclusivity. I would argue the magic number for our production is right around 7000 units.”
The Cayenne, which went on sale in 2002, was the proof of concept that there is a large market for high-end luxury SUVs. The year the Cayenne launched, Porsche sold a total of 66,803 cars, of which 20,603 were the new Cayenne. Right from the start, the SUV made up nearly a third of Porsche’s total sales.
Last year, Porsche added the Macan compact SUV and sold 44,636 units the first year—although the car was only on sale for seven months of the year.