Sports cars don't necessarily translate into huge profits, hence the reason why automakers are often reluctant to sell them. There are exceptions, of course, but it's very rare for one particular sports car to be crowned as 2019's most profitable new car. According to a Bloomberg analysis, the all-new 2020 Porsche 911 is more profitable, proportionally speaking, than any other new car, truck, or SUV that debuted in the past year. The eighth-generation 911, internally called the 992, accounted for nearly 30 percent of total Porsche earnings since its launch despite only making up just 11 percent of sales.

There were other high-performance sports car debuts this year that have also delivered significant profits, such as the Ferrari F8 Tributo, and SUVs like the BMW X5. The F8 Tributo has a 50 percent sales margin yet contributes only 17 percent of Ferrari's total vehicle earnings. The X5 accounts for 16 percent of earnings with only 7 percent of BMW's total volume. The Porsche 911 is not even the brand's best-seller. That award goes to the Macan SUV, but the 911 quickly turns into a moneymaker once buyers begin tacking on pricy options.

Things like carbon-ceramic brakes and the Sport Chrono Package add thousands of dollars to a coupe or convertible that already carry hefty base prices of $98,750 and $111,500, respectively. It's no mistake the 992 has a higher base price than that of its 991.2 predecessor. Although the next 911 Turbo has yet to debut, it will immediately be a pure money-making machine.

Michael Dean, an automotive equity analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, determined that the addition of the Turbo "is basically pure profit. If you assume they sell 10,000 Turbos anyway, plus GT3 and Turbo S's, just the Turbo variants of the 911 alone could actually mean half a billion dollars in terms of profit for Porsche." The next 911 Turbo could exceed profits margins of 50 percent. Holy cash cow.

Unlike BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Porsche is not experiencing a sales slowdown, which can be blamed on trade wars, slowing economies, and environmental concerns. "There is no issue there," Dean added. "Porsche is ahead of the game." What's also interesting is that the new 911 will help Porsche compensate for expected losses from the all-new Taycan EV. Porsche invested some $6.6 billion in the Taycan program, including a new factory, and it's not expected to immediately generate profit.

By around 2023, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume believes the Taycan will generate a "good margin," but those returns are still not expected to be as high as the 911's. With the launch of the next 911 Turbo and GT variants on the way, the 911 remains a vital part of Porsche's lineup, both as an image car and a moneymaker.