Porsche, the luxury sports car maker, is bringing its US financial services arm to Singapore, highlighting the city-states rising appetite for such emblems of affluence.

Porsche Financial Services is the provider of leasing and financing products for Porsche in the US. It is due to launch in Singapore this month. 

The company is coordinating with Hong Leong Finance, a Singapore-based car finance firm, which will facilitate the release of two leasing schemes to Asia clients: the Porsche Hire Purchase plan and Porsche Intelligence Finance plan. The deal was signed at the unveiling of the newest Porsche 911 model at the Ritz-Carlton on 12 January. Porsche said this is its first financing service in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2011, the sports car maker saw a 74 per cent sales increase in Asia to 473 units from the previous year, with authorised Singapore distributor Eurokars posting a 43 per cent rise. Speaking to local media at the signing event, Karsono Kwee, executive chairman of Eurokars, predicted that the new 911 model will make up for 20 per cent of total Porsche volume sales in 2012. 

"Our objective is to support the sale of new and used cars with intelligent financial services, making a lasting contribution to the Group's earnings in the process," Lutz Meschke, chief financial officer for Porsche, was quoted as saying.

To date, there are around 2,500 Porsche units in Singapore, up from about 540 in 2000. Porsche Club Singapore, an exclusive group for Porsche owners, currently has about 200 members, from 20 when it started in 1988.