The 911, Not An SUV, Was Porsche's Best-Selling Model In October 2014

What was once the norm is now so rare that October 2014’s results are bizarrely backwards.

The 911 was Porsche’s best-selling model in the United States in October 2014. Stop the presses. Hold the cheese. Alert the medic. Release the proverbial hounds.

The 911 is by all accounts a sports car, even if it’s softer and plusher and more hushed and more PDK’d than ever before. Indeed, the 911 is not an SUV, the type of vehicle which normally dominates Porsche’s sales charts.

Nevertheless, we can’t expect to see the 911 riding high atop the Porsche leaderboard for long. October’s results for the Cayenne came, Porsche says, “ahead of the introduction of the comprehensively revised 2015 model which goes on sale in November.” Inventory was low; customers want the newer model; the Macan stands in the way for some consumers.

But Porsche fans and crossover haters and rear-engine aficionados can still point to October 2014 as a month in which American consumers registered more new 911s than any other Porsche. With 974 sales, it was the 911’s third month above 900 units this year and the second-best month of 2014. October marked the end of a four-month growth period in which 911 volume shot up 22%.

On an annual basis, surpassing 2013’s 911 sales performance won’t be easy. The 911 is on pace to do so, rising 6% through ten months. But 911 volume took off in November of last year, surging to the model’s best month ever with 1368 sales. At the current rate, Porsche should sell around 10,500 911s this year, a slight increase compared with last year.

Back to October more specifically, an increase in Boxster volume, nothing more than a slight decrease from the Cayman, and five more 918 Spyder sales meant Porsche’s sports cars accounted for 45.8% of brand-wide sales.

The Cayenne, suddenly (and temporarily) down 57% to 712 units, and the Macan, at 741 sales, generated 39.6% of Porsche USA volume. The Panamera was up 6% to 533 units, 14.5% of Porsche’s 3667-unit total.

The sports car group was up from 39.1% one year ago; the SUVs were down from 46.9%.

As for rivals, the 911’s direct opponents are difficult to define, so broad is its range. Chevrolet sold 2959 Corvettes in October, yes, but the all-American is a much more affordable car. BMW’s 6-Series range, sedan included, was down 20% to 740. Mercedes-Benz SL sales fell 33% to 347. Jaguar sold 342 F-Types, a 3% drop. BMw sold 204 i8s. Nissan sold 140 GT-Rs, a 26% jump. Dodge Viper volume was up 16% to 80. Audi R8 sales slid 38% to 40 units.

This sterling performance from the brand’s most iconic nameplate and its two-seat cohorts is not in keeping with conventional outcomes, of course. Not since February 2012, when Porsche said the Cayenne’s 30% drop to just 657 units related to, “limited supply and low dealer inventory,” has the 911 or any non-SUV Porsche been the brand’s top seller.