Volkswagen Pockets $23,000 When You Buy That New Porsche

One could forgive Volkswagen executives for only wanting to drive their fleet of Audis, Bentleys, Porsches, and Lamborghinis. The German giant’s luxury offerings are outperforming its pedestrian passenger cars, both on roads and off.

For every Porsche it sold last year, Volkswagen booked about $23,200 in operating profit, for a margin of 18 percent, according to an annual report it released this morning. Bentley wasn’t far behind Porsche, and the Audi brand, which includes the Lamborghini badge, posted $5,200 in profit per vehicle at a 10 percent margin. That compares with an $850 return, at a 2.9 percent margin, for one of VW’s mass-market machines, such as the Jetta or Passat.