Porsche - World's Most Profitable Carmaker in 2006

Bloomberg reports Porsche AG's 911, a $72,400 sportseuros of assets at SEB Asset Management in
car, spurred the carmaker's being the world's mostFrankfurt, including Volkswagen and Porsche shares,
profitable last year. CEO Wendelin Wiedeking sayscommented that the alliance between Porsche and
earnings will grow even more because of VolkswagenVW is extremely important to Porsche.
AG's Golf, a $15,000 hatchback.As regards lagging profitability, the report says that
The report said Wiedeking may extend the luxury carsuch concern on Volkswagen would crimp Porsche's
company's share-price gains by increasing the stakegrowth sent the luxury carmaker's shares plunging 10
and using Porsche's influence to convert Europe'spercent on Sept. 26, 2005, a day after Porsche said
biggest carmaker. Analysts and investors saythat it would acquire a stake in the larger automaker.
Porsche's experience in "thin" production will enhanceIn 2005, Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen's
Volkswagen's profitability, while the companies willoperating margin was 3 percent as compared with 19
save by sharing development costs.percent at Porsche in the 12 months ended July that
Sales and profit at Volkswagen, now 31 percentyear.
owned by Porsche, have already increased since theVolkswagen's margin widened to 4.3 percent in 2006,
initial tie-up, spurring Porsche's shares more thanas new models such as the Eos and the Audi Q7
double.helped lift sales 10 percent to 5.72 million vehicles. Net
Peter Braendle, who helps manage almost 63 billionincome increased more than doubled.
Swiss francs ($52 billion) in assets at SwisscantoCost cutting already began at Volkswagen. As a
Asset Management in Zurich, plus shares in both carmatter of fact, former Chief Executive Bernd
companies, said Porsche knows how to manage itselfPischetsrieder has thrown off 20,000 jobs.
and stands to significantly earn from its ownership inAndreas Dittmer, who helps manage nearly 3.5 billion
Volkswagen.euros in assets at Apo Asset Management in
Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in London,Cologne, Germany, which includes Volkswagen shares,
forecasts that Porsche's profit may grow to morecommented that "Volkswagen has become leaner''.
than 3 billion euros, which is tantamount to $4.1 billion, inPorsche is entitled to almost one third of Volkswagen's
five years from 1.39 billion euros in the 12 monthsdividend, which was 497 million euros in 2006.
ended July 2006. He expects that the company'sWiedeking said on June 26 that Porsche's profit will
shares will reach 1,650 euros within a year, asreally rise significantly this year. And thanks to
compared with Thursday's closing price of 1,330 euros.Volkswagen.
Juergen Meyer, who helps manage almost 1.3 billion