Late last year, Porsche set a global sales record. If the company’s U.S. sales numbers for the month of January are any indication, it looks as if it’s on track to have a great 2016.
Last month, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) sold 10.6 percent more cars, a total of 4,354 vehicles, than it did last January, 3,937 units.
The Macan had a lot to do with that. Dealers unloaded 1,469 of them in January – an 84.5-percent January-to-January increase. Sales of the Macan’s bigger brother, the Cayenne, went up by 25 percent to 1,395 deliveries; sales of the Boxster models were right behind the Cayenne with a 22.7-percent upswing.
On the other hand, combined sales of the 911 and 918 Spyder in January declined from the 1,086 mark in 2015 to 723. January Panamera sales dipped 23 percent to 336 cars.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
