Porsche AG says it will begin selling Macan compact crossover in China in 2014 to exploit the market's fast-growing demand for SUVs.

The company also plans to introduce the Porsche 918 Spyder, a hybrid-powered supercar, in China next year.

Porsche, which counts the Cayenne SUV as its best seller in China, will build on that success with the Macan, whose sales will begin in the second half of next year, Helmut Broeker, head of China operations, said in a January 18th interview.

The carmaker also plans to double its number of dealerships in the country to 95 in 2014 from 49 now, he said.

"The Macan will have a significant volume impact," said Broeker, who was attending a dealership opening in the east China city of Nantong. "I'm very confident that when this car has been fully launched in the full year, China will be the number one market."

The new products are part of Porsche's plans to make China the company's biggest market by 2014. Porsche has benefited from a surge in demand for SUVs, with the Cayenne accounting for 65
percent of the company's deliveries in China.

"The fact that they're bringing a smaller version of the Cayenne SUV model is something that specifically in China will work quite well," said a Shanghai-based analyst. "It is catering to a segment that is fast growing. It is also part of a trend of luxury brands making their cars more accessible to the market."

Supercar

Porsche is taking orders for the 918 Spyder, the first of which will be delivered to buyers in the first half of next year, Broeker said. He declined to disclose sales targets for the automaker's most expensive model.

The car will cost 13.4 million yuan (US$ 2.2 million) in China, including import and consumption taxes. "The 918 Spyder of course is a great product for China," Broeker said. "There's quite a lot of interest in China. But I don't think you will see many cars on the road."

For this year, Porsche will open about 20 dealerships in cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Foshan and Chengdu, Broeker said. The China head wants sales this year to be "few cars" above levels in 2012, when deliveries rose 28 percent to a record 31,205 units, he said, declining to be more specific.

The maker of the 911 sports car will also start selling new editions of the four-door Panamera and Cayman this year. The Panamera is Porsche's second-best selling model in China after the Cayenne with deliveries at about 9,000 units last year, according to Broeker.

The automaker has no plans to follow other foreign automakers in manufacturing vehicles in China to avoid import duties as customers expect their Porsches to be engineered and made in Germany, he said.

To promote its sports car image in China, the company will open a 135-million yuan handling circuit and training center in Shanghai in 2014, next to the city's Formula One racetrack, according to the company.