Autopocalype Update: Porsche Canada pulls out of the 2009 Toronto auto show

Just as it was the first of the herd to abandon the Detroit auto show last January, Porsche said today it will not have a display at next February’s Toronto auto show.

When the U.S. arm of the German automaker bailed on the Detroit shindig last year, it pragmatically claimed that it simply didn’t sell enough vehicles in the Michigan region to justify the costs of attending.

But the Toronto show is a different matter. The GTA is one of the largest Porsche markets in the country.

And, so far at least, Porsche’s Canadian sales haven’t been hit too hard by the Autopocalypse.

Sales for November were off only 0.9 per cent, 114 to 115 units, compared to the same month last year. That's relative to an industry that's down 10.3 per cent overall.

“The Toronto auto show is the most important in Canada,” said Jasmin Rawlinson, Porsche Canada’s Director of Marketing.

“We did not take this decision lightly.”

Instead of appearing at the Toronto show, Porsche said it would deploy its marketing resources in a “targeted fashion to interact more directly with its customer base.”

The list of this season’s auto show no shows is growing.

General Motors, Volkswagen and Chrysler canned media presentations at last month's L.A .show. And next month in Detroit, along with Porsche, Suzuki, Nissan/Infiniti, Honda (no media presentation) Ferrari, Land Rover, and Rolls-Royce are all no shows.

Will you miss Porsche at the Toronto auto show?

Or maybe a better question is: With so many buyers getting their info online, are auto shows in general relevant anymore to the new car buying process?

[Source: Porsche Cars Canada]

Comments

[TedNes]

Porsche shows its' savvy yet again by pulling out of the AutoShow IMHO. Tradeshows are becoming less and less relevant in today's world. I look at the Porsche dealership near my office---it has everything, and I can actually get near the car, and get in the car. The mob scene at the Porsche booth in recent years has kept the buyers at bay, as there are so many tire-kickers just dying for a chance to sit in one. Hey, good for them, they may buy a Porsche some day just as the kid on the bicycle in the commercial wants to. Saving money and making wise business decisions in today's economy is the sign of a very successful company. 5 bucks says that GM, Ford and Chrysler have gargantuan booths at the show, if they survive that lone!...

[Porsche Desktop Wallpapers]

i believe this is a good move for porsche to pull out from the auto show and spend their marketing resources to direcly interact with customers. many customers turn to computer to check for info and feedback and this is a savvy move. porsche has already established its brand so auto shows should not be focused anymore