Green light for D’Ieteren’s takeover of seventh Porsche dealership

D’Ieteren Automotive, the Belgian importer of all VW brands, received the green light from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) for the takeover of the Porsche Centre East-Flanders in Sint-Martens-Latem. With that, it owns seven of the nine Porsche dealerships in Belgium. However, conditions apply to ensure fair competition.

The BCA investigation showed ‘serious doubts’ about fair competition, especially in areas like maintenance and repair. This could lead to higher prices and the exclusion of independent dealerships from spare part supplies, as D’Ieteren also controls the import of spares.

Safeguarding competition

“The commitments contain various remedies aimed at safeguarding effective competition,” the BCA press release reads. “Such as safeguards regarding existing and new approvals of Porsche sales and/or after–sales outlets, the implementation of a ‘Chinese wall policy‘ about commercially sensitive information relating to Porsche between the import and retail division of D‘Ieteren under the supervision of the BCA, as well as a general guarantee by D‘Ieteren of non–discriminatory treatment in relation to independent garages.”

Porsche sells quite well in Belgium, with more than 3,300 cars sold annually. According to the latest figures of car federation Febiac, by the end of May 2024, 1,962 new Porsches had been registered, outnumbering brands like MINI, Fiat, Jeep, or DS, for instance.

320,221 Porsches sold worldwide

Porsche sold 320,221 cars worldwide in 2023, with one-third in Europe, the lion’s share in Germany (32,430), and 70,229 in the rest of the Old Continent. North America remains Porsche’s biggest overseas market (86,059), followed closely by China (79,283) and the remaining 52,220 in what it calls ‘Overseas and Emerging Markets’.

SUVs are doing best with the Cayenne (87,553) and its more affordable sibling, Macan (87,355), followed by the iconic 911, delivered to 50,146 customers worldwide. The Taycan also posted double-digit gains (+17%), with 40,629 customers going electric.

The outgoing generation of the Panamera four-door sedan was still suitable for 34,020 deliveries. The 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman models posted 20,518 deliveries in the lower two-seater sports cars segment.