Unable to buy the Porsche I want even when I'm ready to pay in full

We are in the market with Rs 1.2 crore and despite one red Macan being available in the country, we don’t get access to it.

BHPian RJ2285 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Need help!

A close friend is in the market with a budget of INR 1 Cr and has fallen in love with the Porsche Macan, specifically the red colour, 2L Petrol variant. On behalf of him, I have been front-ending all conversations with Porsche dealers. We visited the Porsche Mumbai Santacruz dealership 3 weeks back. He test drove the car and the decision was made.

Porsche Mumbai quoted an on-road price of INR 1.19 Cr (including INR 4 lakh additional for the red colour). Since the car was clearly INR 20L above budget, we started negotiating for a good deal. At the time, they had one brand new red Macan and a demo Red Macan. The demo car having 3000kms on the odometer was being offered at INR 1.13 Cr. He was very clear, he wanted a brand new Red Porsche Macan only. They were offering a 4-year warranty at no additional cost with the new Macan.

The dealership did not budge on price and my friend decided to pull the trigger and go ahead with the purchase at INR 1.19 Cr. However, on one condition that he was willing to pay the entire amount now, but wanted delivery in the 1st week of February as he will be turning 50, so special occasion.

On contacting the Porsche Santacruz dealership a couple of days back, I was told that both, the new and the demo Macan have been sold and they have no stocks left. New stock will be available only in the month of March 2024, which was a big dealbreaker for us.

I reached out to Porsche Ahmedabad to see if they had a Red Macan in stock. I had a detailed discussion with Jay from Porsche, Ahmedabad.

To summarise:

• They can only sell at Ahmedabad prices if we have a valid Gujarat address proof
• The Red colour Macan costs INR 1.16 Crs. on-road in Ahmedabad
• They are not ALLOWED to sell to MH if the customer does not have valid Gujarat address proof
• They can only sell to MH without Gujarat Address proof on one condition - if dealers in Mumbai don’t have a red Macan, however on-road price applicable will still be as per Maharashtra prices

I told Jay that the Mumbai dealership does not have one in stock and hence we are willing to buy from him and there came another surprise. He says they don’t have a stock available. Also, as per his manager Porsche Gujarat cannot sell to a customer in Maharashtra. He apologised as he had assured of the same earlier.

However, he said a dealer in Kochi has a red Macan available and that seems to be the only piece available in the country and that I should request Porsche Mumbai dealership to speak to the Kochi dealership to arrange it for us. He also said if dealers have a rapport, it is easier for them to arrange. I reached out to Ashwat at Porsche Mumbai. After giving him this info told him to check and get back to me.

He gets back to me with the below message:

“Sir, they don't want to give. They know it's the only red till March so they're currently giving stories that even they have a client ready for the Red. It's their overall retail number that gets affected. Since they're giving it to us they won't get the retail count against their dealer name. Just to build a demand. And everyone is desperate for a Red Macan."

I replied saying, “This is ridiculous!”

This now means despite one red Macan being available in the country, we don’t get access to it. The situation we are in is unbelievable. We are in the market with INR 1.2cr and are being made to run from pillar to post just to buy a car despite being ready to make the full payment.

My friend does not want to wait until March end for the new stock. We plan to write the Porsche CEO highlighting the current ordeal.

Can anyone here help with the email address of the CEO if possible or if anyone here knows someone in the management and can you put in a word so we don’t lose that one piece owing to rogue dealers in India?

Looking forward to some assistance and thank you in advance.

Here's what BHPian Turbanator had to say about the matter:

Send an email to the Kochi dealership under copy to - info@porsche.in

Explain that since the Mumbai dealership no longer has the variant/colour you need, they can ask Porsche for internal approval to invoice to the Mumbai address. It should be possible though I am not sure about an extended warranty as that's something a local dealership might have offered you so others may not be able to match and you should accept this. Extended 2 Year (2 is standard) is usually cheap so I won't fret much if I lose. Also, check, MY23 should have lower MRP over MY24. Usually, Porsche dealerships are very honest about this and they don't charge extra, unlike other brands who will charge the new MRP irrespective of MY.

Here's what BHPian Sahil had to say about the matter:

What I find ridiculous is the leverage you are giving the dealerships by insisting on factors that are manageable. For example, be open to any color, and get the car wrapped to red! It will not only stay protected but also be less hassle to maintain. Secondly, if you want delivery in Feb and the dealer wants to do his numbers then buy it and park it elsewhere till the birthday arrives. Moreover, if you indeed have made full payment then the dealer may not have a problem storing it for you with an undertaking letter at max.

Maybe this is a sign that your friend actually buys something worth more than its price. This is coming from a Macan owner. I have had one for the past 3 years and no way do I think it's worth 1.2cr value today to buy new.

Here's what BHPian 2000rpm had to say about the matter:

Very simple solution.

Rent a 1 BHK in Kochi and get the car from Kochi.

OR

Find a friend in Kochi and then get the car in his name. Transfer the car later.

Most OEMs have a cross-selling policy which prevents the dealers from selling in each other's "EXCLUSIVE" Territory. Their incentives will be linked to their retail sales. The billing needs to happen from their dealership.

What you are asking them to do is a stock transfer from one dealer inventory to another dealer inventory. Some OEMs have a sharing policy for this, which I think PORSCHE doesn't. Hence incentives for both are not aligned and hence they are not collaborating.

Here's what BHPian am1m had to say about the matter:

Your friend is the customer, he shouldn't have to chase the car or the dealer, it should be the other way around!

Take it as a lucky break that Porsche is making this decision easy for you. Take your business elsewhere to another brand. Get an equally special car on the day he wants, and at the budget he originally planned for.

Don't give a brand that doesn't care about their customers this much power.

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