BERLIN -- Porsche expects another record year for sales despite the global semiconductor chip shortage, its sales chief said.
"When I look at the current orders, I am confident for 2022. Growth in sales could reach a similarly high level this year as in 2021," Detlev von Platen, the Porsche executive board member responsible for sales and marketing, said in an interview with Automobile News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.
Sales at Porsche, part of Volkswagen Group, rose 11 percent last year to 301,915, which would mean they could reach more than 335,000 this year if growth maintains the same pace.
Porsche saw demand grow in all global sales regions in 2021, with the U.S. rising fastest at 22 percent to 70,025. China remains the brand's biggest single market with sales up 8 percent in 2021 to 95,671.
The brand's best-selling car was the Macan SUV with 88,362 units delivered, followed by the bigger Cayenne SUV with 83,071 sales. The Panamera sedan and wagon accounted for 30,220 sales over the year.
Van Platen told Automobilwoche that Porsche planned to hire 400 additional workers. The automaker has a workforce of nearly 40,000.
The high demand was leading to longer delivery times, he said. "Wait times can last several months, in some cases up to a year," von Platen said.
Automakers around the world have been hit by a shortage of semiconductors caused by COVID-19 supply-chain disruptions as well as soaring semiconductor demand at consumer electronic companies.
