Porsche 911 GT3 breaks records, Ferrari GTC4Lusso drives profit, Mini Countryman raises roof on strong results

Several marques highlighted their best cars last week as they delivered their first-quarter results for 2017.

On May 3, Volkswagen Group said its sales revenue for the quarter rose 10.3 per cent year on year to €56.2 billion, just as its new Porsche 911 GT3 lapped the 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes, 12.7 seconds – 12.3 seconds faster than its predecessor.

“A few years ago, lap times like this could only be achieved by thoroughbred race cars with slick tyres,” said Andreas Preuninger, Porsche’s GT product line director. Launched last month in Geneva and keenly awaited in southern China, the street-legal GT3 smashed the lap record with the 911 GT3 Cup race car’s 500-horsepower, four-litre flat-six engine, rear-axle steering, and a seven-speed Porsche double-clutch transmission on Michelin Sport Cup 2 N1 tyres, Porsche says.

The 1,430kg GT3 tonnes in about 3.4 seconds, tops at 318km/h and sits about 25mm lower than the 911 Carrera S. A Track Precision app also enables GT3 drivers to display, record and analyse their driving data on their smartphones.

Ferrari reported on May 4 that it had shipped 2,003 units in the first quarter of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 121 units or 6.4 per cent. Of these, 161 came from China, an increase of 3 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

“This achievement was driven by a 50 per cent increase in sales of our V12 models, partially offset by the V8s, which posted a 3 per cent decrease,” the marque says. “The V12’s strong performance was led by the GTC4Lusso, LaFerrari Aperta as well as the F12tdf, partially offset by the F12berlinetta, at its sixth year of commercialisation, phasing-out while [the] California T is at its fourth year of commercialisation.” Net revenues for the first quarter were €821 million, an increase of €146 million “or 21.5 per cent [up] from the first quarter of 2016”, the company said. Its adjusted net profit was “up 1 per cent to €124 million and its net industrial debt was reduced to €578 million”.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz sold 180,599 vehicles worldwide in April, a 10.1 per cent increase on the year. Of these, 47,627 were sold in China, a year-on-year increase of 35.3 per cent. The marque says its bestseller worldwide was the C-Class, with 33,666 units, including “best-ever sales figures” for the long-wheelbase China version last month.