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Luxury carmaker, which sold 290 vehicles in Mich. last year, to focus on shows where it has more customers.

Melissa Preddy / The Detroit News

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Porsche AG said Monday it will pull out of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in favor of marketing efforts that more directly reach potential buyers.

The German luxury sports carmaker plans to focus on shows in regions where it has more customers, spokesman Tony Fouladpour said.

He added that Porsche gets better results when it spends its marketing dollars getting prospective customers into vehicles -- such as at performance-driving lessons held at local dealerships -- than at events such as auto shows.

"People are much more apt to buy if they drive the cars," Fouladpour said.

Porsche sold 290 cars in Michigan last year, compared with 8,827 in California, 4,177 in Florida and 2,172 in New York.

The decision is not intended as a snub to Detroit and the region, said Fouladpour, noting that Porsche is supporting the revived Grand Prix race later this year, among other efforts.

"As a media showcase for new products, the Detroit auto show is clearly the premier international auto show in North America," said David Pryor, the company's vice president of marketing, in a statement.

"Still, as Porsche strives to seek new, more personal ways to directly reach out and communicate to its potential customer base we need to look beyond the traditional consumer auto show -- even ones that are highly renowned in the industry. For us, this is a strategic business decision that allows us to allocate our limited marketing resources more effectively."

Porsche said over the past two years or so, it has cut back from exhibiting at 23 North American auto shows to participating in nine such events.

The news generated no buzz at Monday's golf outing for members of the Detroit Automobile Dealers Association, sponsors of the North American International Auto Show.

"There were no comments at all," said Carl Galeana, a Chrysler dealer and senior co-chairman of the 2008 auto show.

"Porsche has been very, very good to us over the years. It's strictly a strategic marketing decision and I certainly respect it."

Galeana said, if anything, Porsche's withdrawal is a chance for other auto show exhibitors to spread out. "It's a great opportunity for us," he said.

"We've got people who are under-spaced at the show. We'll divvy it up."

Source: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...69/1148/AUTO01

mmarshall

Repost?.....see Robarapta's original post.....and my response.