Porsche Says New SUV Will Boost Sales to 200,000

Porsche AG says the Macan small SUV it will introduce in April will push the company's global sales to a record 200,000 units in 2015.

CEO Matthias Mueller tells reporters that Porsche is ready to expand output if demand surpasses the planned 50,000 units of annual output. The SUV went into production on Monday in Leipzig, Germany.

Porsche's larger Cayenne SUV, also made in Leipzig, is the brand's best-selling model. Analysts widely expect the Macan, which is about 17 cm shorter and several thousand euros less expensive, will outsell the Cayenne.

IHS Automotive has estimated that SUVs will account for two-thirds of Porsche sales next year. The carmaker sold a record 162,100 vehicles half of them Cayennes in 2013.