Buyers of 2012 model year Piper M-Class airplanes (Matrix, Mirage and Malibu) are getting a host of upgrades on the inside and out, the manufacturer announced at the NBAA Convention.
For the same base price as a comparable 2011 model, Piper is throwing in interior and exterior LED lighting, a pair of Bose A20 headsets for the cockpit, improved cockpit and cabin ventilation, resculpted cockpit side panels, more comfortable fold-forward passenger seats, additional power outlets, and new paint schemes.
The upgrades have already been incorporated on the production line, and new airplanes rolling out of the factory are being billed as 2012 models.
Piper executive vice president Randy Groom said sales have been picking up this year. The Vero Beach, Florida, manufacturer delivered 38 of its M-class airplanes in the year’s first half, including 14 turboprop Meridians and 24 examples of the piston-powered Matrix and Mirage as sales rose by 16 percent. Groom credited bonus depreciation tax advantages for boosting dealer activity, saying the incentive program is helping the company build its order backlog well into next year.
