The financial crisis has severely affected companies in the auto sector. According to data provided by the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers in Romania (APIA), sales of new cars could slide 60 percent this year from 2008, to 130,000 units. “‘The figures are dreadful. We’ve been severely affected. After 11 years of almost unhealthy growth, by up to 30-40 percent annually, suddenly we’ve fallen 60 percent in terms of sales,” Cortina said.
The company expects a 5-10 percent growth rate in business next year, “or at least this is our plan,” the Porsche official added.
One of the downsides of the financial crisis, according to Cortina, refers to the way Porsche employees reacted to the new market conditions. “We waited and hoped that the crisis would change the mentality of employees, that it would raise the degree of responsibility, of involvement, of discipline, and seriousness. I am amazed how hard it is to change the mentality of the company’s employees. This is the challenge of the near future,” the official added. On the other hand, “the opportunity of the crisis” for Porsche is the focus on raising the quality of services.
