Porsche confiscates $67M in counterfeit merchandise, parts

A team of investigators hunts for knockoffs in China.

Porsche has detailed its efforts to crack down on knockoffs, leading to $67 million in confiscated items in 2018 alone.

The German performance marque employs a team of investigators that focus on counterfeit manufacturing operations in rural China, said to be responsible for producing 80 percent of unauthorized goods that end up sold on Amazon, Alibaba and other channels.

"Sometimes the counterfeits are quite obvious," said brand protection team member Michaela Stoiber. "The products are far cheaper than normal, or the Porsche emblem has been poorly copied. We sometimes also find that a different animal is shown in the centre of the logo. For example, instead of the Porsche horse, it could be a sheep standing on its hind legs."

One of the humorous discoveries involved erectile dysfunction pills from Turkey that had been pressed into the shape of a Porsche emblem.

The company has also found millions of dollars in counterfeit spare parts, including safety-related components such as airbags and brake rotors.