THE red cover did very little to ward off the eyes of prying guests attending the launch of the new Porsche Panamera 4S held at the home of Joachim Schmillen, German ambassador to Jamaica, in Jack’s Hill, St Andrew, on Sunday.

The guest list comprised businessmen, corporate executives and young professionals who were nevertheless given an opportunity to mingle with other Porsche offerings on display — including the Macan, the Macan S, the Macan GTS Turbo, the Cayenne, and the Cayenne turbo — prior to the unveiling.

The high-performance German automobile brand, Porsche, is latest jewel in the crown for the dynamic car dealership ATL Automotive.

In his address to the audience, Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals Resorts International and ATL Group of Companies, said he was excited to formally launch the brand in Jamaica.

“It is an amazing day for us. This journey started three years ago, with the Volkswagen group, which owns Audi, Porsche as well, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Fiat, Skoda, and many, many brands. We were in discussions with them and we were asked by them if we would consider representing the Porsche brand in Jamaica… Mr Ferdinand Porsche started in 1931, so it would make 85 years for Porsche to hit Jamaica’s shores.

“A lot of people ask the same question: Is there a market for Porsche in Jamaica? Porsche is a bespoke brand. It’s the most individual car brand in the world — unless you get into the Bentley or the Rolls Royce of the world… No two Porsches that come into Jamaica would be the same, and we at ATL want a car brand for every member of the household,” he said.

After the veils were lifted, guests were given the opportunity to get a ‘taste’ of the new Panamera 4S.

According to Porsche, the jet metallic black Panamera 4S has an eight-speed PDK (Porsche Doppel Kupplung) transmission with a V6 engine which puts out 440 hp to all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system. It moves from 0 to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds (4.2 seconds Sports Plus button) and its top speed is 289 km/h.

“Porsche is the first car company in the United States of America to include dual airbags as standard equipment. they were the first car company to put brakes on all four wheels, so they have [both] a safety element to it and a performance element to it,” Stewart told Jamaica Observer’s Auto magazine.

The CEO said work on Porsche’s stand-alone showroom in the city’s financial district of New Kingston is in high gear.

“We wanted to do something different and unique. It will be the first time that a dealership will be in the centre of the city…. It’ll be located at the old IBM building on Knutsford Boulevard and Barbados Avenue and will be opened in late January, early February … and in Montego Bay in May,” he said.

Hotel mogul Gordon “Butch” Stewart, founder & chairman of hotel chain Sandals Resorts International and ATL Group of Companies, spoke to Auto about the introduction of the new line:

“Introducing Porsche at this time is just confidence, confidence, confidence. More so, it’s really good to see that Jamaica has an appetite for this level of automotive and motor cars. The flexibility that Porsche has these days — from four doors to two doors, its power and range — it’s a great car to drive.

“If you don’t have something in life to reach for, then you’ll never get there. You’ve got to have dreams; motor cars are one of them, homes are another. What’s the point of working hard and not have the benefits of something?” said Stewart.

Started in 1997, ATL Automotive operates from state-of-the-art showrooms in Kingston and Montego Bay. Besides Porsche, the company is the authorised dealer for BMW, MINI, Audi, Volkswagen, and Honda.