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We won't see any more mainstream 911s (including GTS variants) with engines over 3.0L. The Chinese tax authorities have made that decision for us all.
They will probably end up killing the Boxster and Cayman lines altogether. Now that they no longer share as many 911 powertrain components, the number of units they have to sell to maintain profitability will be higher, but it seems unlikely that the numbers will move in that direction.
I agree with all of the above. My wife and I were just having the same conversation about China's tax on displacement over 3.0L engines.
There are still a lot of common parts between the 911 and the 718.... but it comes down to who is going to buy the 718. Few. Really few. I am worried that Porsche will become like Audi.... A SUV and Sedan company with maybe one high end sports car that is unattainable for almost everyone. I don't want that.....
It confirms that Porsche is going to stick with TT for their 991.2 GTS. Ok....we knew that. But it also confirms they are sticking with their 3 L engine for the GTS. Most of us guessed at that too.
Let's put the pieces together...... They wack off 2 cylinders from the 981, add a Turbo and a name change and charge more..... Few are going to pay that much money for a "non 9" Porsche with turbo sound that only has 4 cylinders. The 718 will go the way of the 912. I promise.
Then they keep the displacement on the 991.2 base, S, and GTS the same while increasing turbo boost which cost them like Zero dollars (ok..a bit more for the bigger turbos) and they charge a butt ton more.
Business folks have beaten the car enthusiast for the direction of their cars........the bean counters do not get it.
The free market is going to have a vote. And it is the ultimate vote.
I went to a 991.2 rollout the other day. Several SAs told me that business is really down and they don't know why....wait till the 718 and 991.2GTS hits the street.
I spoke to an SA yesterday and he said that no one has contacted the dealership to ask about the 718...
I'm telling you, they're making some fundamental mistakes in the quest for chasing the low displacement countries, and to please the bean counters.
These moves have NOTHING to do about making better sports cars. It's about selling more of them for more profits.
They ALMOST used a 4cy for the base 991.2 Carrera's. Seriously?? Until they heard the bitching from its customers at there mere idea. Just the point that they considered it is insane.
I DO NOT dislike the 991.2, BUT I DO NOT Iike choices being more limited. So I want an NA car in the future and have to beg a dealer or pay over MSRP for a GT car.?? A joke.
The dealers I talk to constantly gets calls about cars they DON'T have available to sell (GT's and now the R). Shouldn't they be getting more calls about cars they are able to sell??? Pretty quiet on that front.
I LOVE what Porsche has done to this point, but the future has me worried. That's why I take the time to comment.
The Asian economies are down and Porsche sales are down there. They're pushing more cars to the US now. Pretty funny. Back to my point, chase those markets with cars that have better chances of selling there.
The farces ...
1. But the best 911 is always the next one.
When in the hell has the past predicted the future?? Can't the same be said for the TV and cell phone? Tell it to Yahoo.
2. The .2 has so much low end torque. Needed it.
Hasn't Porsche been making turbos for what, 30+years?? Like somehow everyone is getting a boner over it now? The Turbos have their place in the model line up. They're great. The issue -- LESS CHOICES.
Yeah, use the same 3.0 engine across all variants. Nice way to save $$$ while increasing MSRP's.
3. They needed a faster 911 to compete
What the hell have they done with the NA GT cars?? Anyone complaining there? Like somehow the NA engine became obsolete overnight?? BS.
That's a whole other F*up on Porsches part. Play games with your long term customers, screw them out of cars they want, and turn the flipping/mark up business into a circus. Geez, you have a Rennsport GTS just listed for $255K. WTF?? That's not even a GT car!!
The dealers I talk to constantly gets calls about cars they DON'T have available to sell (GT's and now the R). Shouldn't they be getting more calls about cars they are able to sell??? Pretty quiet on that front.
Very valid point. It's not a good time to be a dealer who sells VAG cars, even at the high end.
I honestly don't expect anything but continued success for the 991.2. I'd have no problem buying one myself. But look for the 718s to be force-fed to dealers, the way Ferrari dealers have to put Maseratis on the floor if they want allocations for the real thing.
Good find Mr. Cable. I'm a bit disappointed that the next GTS will be turboed on the same 3L engine as the base and S models. Basically you are paying more for larger turbos as you move from base to GTS. Porsche is really making it hard to "upgrade" down the road from my NA GTS.
04-09-2016, 09:14 PM
