Porsche deliveries to the US jumped in the first quarter ahead of looming tariffs while sales slumped elsewhere, as the sports-car maker grapples with rising trade barriers likely to make its most important market less profitable.

The carmaker behind the 911 and more modern, lower-priced electric models such as the Macan on Tuesday said its deliveries to North American customers soared 37 per cent in the first quarter compared with last year.

Porsche partly attributed the large increase to comparatively low figures last year, when thousands of its cars were held at US ports due to banned Chinese components. But a person familiar with sales in the country said new orders from US customers had also risen, with Porsche buyers unusually willing to skip custom features that typically delay delivery.