Porsche Korea CEO Mathias Busse pledges to double service network through 2030
Porsche has opened the world’ second-largest service center in Korea, signifying the German sports car brand’s long-term commitment to the local market.
“The very unique Porsche Service Center Seongsu marks a groundbreaking milestone for Porsche in Korea,” said Porsche Korea CEO Mathias Busse, who took the top role in October last year, at a media event held at the Porsche Service Center Seongsu in eastern Seoul on Wednesday.
“It reflects our continuous dedication to providing exceptional experiences, proudly standing as one of the largest Porsche service centers in the world. The Porsche Service Center Seongsu highlights our commitment to meeting the needs of our valued customers in the dynamic Korean market.”
The German sporty carmaker’s newly opened service center comprises 15,968 square meters of floor space with 11 floors from the ground up and one basement floor, boasting 40 work bays currently installed with a capacity to expand that to 65. According to Porsche, the Seongsu site is capable of carrying out regular maintenance and accident repair services for about 90 vehicles per day on average.
On top of the Porsche Service Center Seongsu becoming the automaker’s 15th service center in the country, Porsche Korea unveiled a plan to double its service network through 2030, without disclosing the specifics of its investment. The automaker will also open the new Porsche Studio Hannam in central Seoul with a retail concept and break ground for a new service center on Jeju Island this year.
As for this year’s market strategy, the Porsche Korea CEO noted that the brand will introduce at least five new models to the local market in the first half of this year, adding that he will be able to reveal more about this year’s specific plan at the upcoming 2025 Seoul Mobility Show in early April.
“Porsche Korea plans to open the first half of 2025 with the icon of sports cars, the new 911,” said Busse.
“It is set to raise the standards of performance design and personalization to even greater heights. Along with this, the new electric Macan is ready for delivery in March.”
As Korea is the third-largest market for Porsche’s flagship sedan Panamera and the fifth-biggest market for the battery electric sporty sedan Taycan, the CEO brushed off the brand’s sales slip last year when the automaker’s annual sales fell to 8,284 vehicles, down 27 percent from 2023.
“(Last year,) we changed four new models so it’s a typical product cycle,” said Busse.
“There is always some life cycle ongoing and therefore obviously it’s a little bit more challenging in those years to have the best record. … If you look back to the growth in the last 10 years, we did exceptionally well. … We very strongly believe that this will be a positive year for us.”
Porsche Korea also pointed out that it will donate 1.8 billion won ($1.24 million) this year for corporate social responsibility activities in education, culture, art and environmental protection to continue giving back to Korean society.
By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)
