German carmakers hurt in U.S., Porsche sales plunge

A traffic lights is turned red next to the logo of German car manufacturer Porsche outside a Porsche dealer in Frankfurt, June 22, 2009.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Porsche (PSHG_p.DE) vehicle sales plummeted 62 percent to 1,072 vehicles last month in the U.S. market, its biggest, as demand evaporated for its luxury sports utility vehicle Cayenne.

Sales of its core high-margin 911 fell 40 percent; its Cayman/Boxster model line, 66 percent; and the Cayenne, 72 percent, Porsche said in a statement on Wednesday.

Volkswagen (VOWG.DE) reported an 18 percent drop in sales to 19,027 vehicles at its VW brand in June, mitigated in large part by demand for its new Passat CC and Chrysler-built Routan minivan as well as its diesel-powered Jetta estate that partly compensated for sharp drop in sales in other models.

BMW (BMWG.DE) said its U.S. sales fell by 20 percent in June to 20,849 vehicles, with virtually identical rates of volumes declines at both its BMW and Mini brand, leaving sales of just 16,744 and 4,105 vehicles respectively.

While Daimler's (DAIGn.DE) Mercedes-Benz brand incurred a 23 percent decline in sales to 15,155 vehicles, its Smart brand of pint-sized cars sank 56 percent to just 1,116 units.

(Reporting by Christiaan Hetzner; Editing by Gary Hill)