Porsche AG said it has received ‘overwhelming’ orders in Germany for the revamped 911 sports car two days before the 88,000-euro ($119,000) model goes on sale in Europe.

Porsche will have a “particularly strong rush” for the seventh-generation 911 at showrooms in Europe’s biggest economy, the Stuttgart, Germany-based manufacturer said today in a statement, without giving order numbers. Advance sales of the reworked 911 are in the four-digits, spokesman Dirk Erat said.

 

 “The new 911 will sustain the growth momentum for Porsche,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. “It’s one of their most relevant product overhauls in a long time.”

Porsche, seeking to merge with Volkswagen AG, aims to double deliveries to at least 200,000 cars and sport-utility vehicles by 2018 as it adds models and expands in emerging markets. The carmaker plans to increase sales to a record 140,000 autos next year, after selling 120,000 in 2011, a person with knowledge of the matter said Oct. 13.

The revamped 911, the first overhaul of Porsche’s iconic model since 2004, was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September. The 350-horsepower model, which has a top speed of 289 kilometers per hour (179 miles per hour) and surges to 100 kilometers in 4.6 seconds, will be more powerful and lighter than its predecessor due to bodywork chiefly made from aluminum.

 “The fact that we have an overwhelming number of orders for the new 911 even before its official presentation at our dealerships shows the degree of faith our customers place in the new generation,” of the model, Klaus Zellmer, head of Porsche’s German operations, said in the statement. (Bloomberg)