New Autoweek, Off Subject and long

Got home last night and pulled the new Autoweek from my mailbox. There on the black and white cover (over the real cover of a Ram pickup) was a quote from Dr. Porsche, paraphrasing now, saying something to the effect that he had to build the car he wanted. From that quote, I assumed we would see the new Carrera GT. NOOOOOOO <img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" /> it was the Cayenne. I had decided up to now to ignore all of the Cayenne bashing. But since Porsche has now started their ad campaign, it seems time to say enough is enough. As a designer, the worst possible outcome is to answer a question that is not being asking. Seems to me that is exactly what Porsche is doing in the guise of continuing as an independent manufacturer. Who is asking for the Cayenne? Certainly not those who have been loyal Porsche drivers and race watchers. If Porsche thinks that they are going to completely rewrite a market segment with this car, they are kidding themselves. If they believe they are going to speak to their core constiuents, I believe they are mistaken. Having spent some time in the deserts of the UAE I can see how this car might be a great deal of fun eating up the flat sand at high speed, but in the US what is it use? The saddest thing about this car is not that it is being made, but that it does not have the sense of style, grace and simplicity that have made Porsches great. Take the large front intakes from the Turbo, the interior from a Volkswagon and the rear from a Sante Fe and you have the new car. A second year design student could have done better. Seems like the brilliant designers from Stuggart either tried way too hard or not hard enough. Sorry for the rant, but I may be forced to go to an Audi RS or BMW M.

I'm with you STRSHP. The Cayenne simply devalues the marque <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

I too have not made any comment about the Cayenne and just like you, thought the Autoweek cover was going to be teasing us with the GT. I'm dissapointed with the look of the vehicle and even the name, but my opinion of the whole process has been tempered by an interview I read from a Porsche senior executive when the rumor of the SUV was first confirmed. I can't recall the source but the buisness arguement seemed strong and revolved around marketing data that Porsche felt pointed to the fact that a US Porsche customer indeed wanted a Porsche SUV. Whether that's true or not I won't adress, but I remember reading that Porsche went ahead with the project with the following two things in mind: #1 Most current model Porsche customers owned three cars, including one SUV., and #2 in the even of an economic down turn, conventional Porsche model sales would be in serious danger.

Hell, when I saw the AutoWeek "cover", I got excited too. Not only did I think that we'd hear about the GT, but also an article on future plans and all that. I didn't even have to open the mag to figure out what was going on. Bummer. Then the thought occurred to me... I read somewhere where there are about 300,000 Porsches on the road in the US (or something like tht), and it hit me. Porsche is obviously appealing to Pcar owners and we joke about that, but I'm guessing the major market for this SUV will be people who do NOT own Pcars and have a chance to own one. IOW, their market is aimed at potential buyers who know what a Porsche is and the image related to it, but do not have any passion for the marque like us guys (and gals) do. If that theory is correct then PAG/PCNA is probably doing a good spin job aimed at that market...Look at Land Rover. They've had a terrible history of reliability, but they have a name that exudes exclusivity...so if Porsche is targeting Rover, BMW, Escalade, etc. they're doing a good job. My $.02 <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />

several observations: 1. lots of porsche owners own suv's--why should porsche lose this business especially with their extensive experience with awd? 2. suv's are ridiculously popular. 3. sports car sales are very inconsistent and prone to wide wide fluctuations that are incompatible with a sensible business model. 4. finally, porsche is a car company--not a religion or a cult. they want to earn money like everyone else. imo, so-called degradation of the marque is bull****. people sang that tired old song with 924/944/968 models that kept our beloved little company afloat through the last serious prolonged economic downturn. imo, the worldwide economy will get much worse before it gets better. 911 sales will go down and leave porshe vulnerable again unless they have a broader product line. my 2 cents <img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" /> <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />

ignacio I take your comments seriously. I too want our favorite automobile maker to remain independent and able to build fine sports cars. If that means wandering into other markets, I can accept that. All of my Porsches have been water cooled so I am a bit of an apostate to begin with. However, it is the lack of design imagination and the execution of this vehicle that is problematic. This company has always been a bit idiosycractic making cars that others say cannot be made to perform. They have proven everyone wrong. I suppose I will give them the benefit of the doubt and wait to see how this behemoth performs, but it does strike me that the designers followed the crowd, and at the end of the line at that. Look at the old pictures of Ferndinand and the other founders at the races. They are there for a reason. To learn about how sports cars work, how to make them go faster, how to make them safer and how to develop the technical parts that make better cars. If this SUV can sustain that vision, then I will shut up. My fear is they have lost their way in looking at short term profits. I market for my company and one thing I have learned is do not leave your core constituency. If the vision is the best SUV, God save us all. If the vision is the best vehicle form a form and function view, then OK. For me I see no vision. my additional 2 cents