Porsche today commemorated two big milestones: the company built the 100,000th example of the second-generation Cayenne SUV, and also celebrated the tenth anniversary of its plant in Leipzig, Germany, that assembles both the Cayenne and the Panamera sedan.
The milestone SUV was painted Pure White and destined for sale in Brazil. The second-generation Porsche Cayenne launched in 2010 as a 2011 model; the company built more than 360,000 examples of the first-gen Cayenne between 2002 and 2009. Although purists proclaimed the idea of a Porsche SUV to be unabashed heresy, the Cayenne has been one of Porsche's most popular models, especially here in North America.
Last year alone, Leipzig produced 93,800 vehicles -- more than any other year in the Porsche plant's history.
The Leipzig plant also celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and will soon add a third shift to cope with growing demand for vehicles. That will allow Leipzig to build about 500 vehicles per day as it ramps up to begin production of the Cajun small SUV in 2013. Porsche will invest over [euro]500 million ($691 million) for upgrades including a new paint shop and new assembly line for the Cajun.