MJG911

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ecord-earnings

worf928

blech

bkrantz

Add one more profession to keep away from car design (my apologies in advance):

1. Accountants
2. Lawyers
3. IT geeks

worf928

The IT geeks just do what they're told. It's the Gadget Freeks in Marketing that need their circle of Dante's H3!! next to the ones for groups one and two.

I would be happy for the Software Geeks to be given the budget and schedule to debug the tech already in the cars.

famous shoes

I was disappointed to see this article as well. The last thing I want my 911 to do is look for a parking space, geesh. My strategy is to search out the most obscure space possible, the farthest away from all other cars with plenty of empty spaces on either side regardless of how far I have to walk, to avoid door dings at all possible cost. I'm not sure that the P engineers could program those demands into their software.

RT traffic information would be nice but I don't really use the navigation package that often. I'm still trying to get a complete grasp of the new PCM. Having problems with bluetooth audio from my iPhone. I sure love to drive the car though.

kayjh

It makes sense. The Turbo S is putting out 580 HP and gets to 60 in under 3 seconds. So they can't move someone currently in a Turbo S into a faster car because the owner already has way more car than he can drive to its limit on the street.

Every car company out there is talking technology as a selling feature of their new models. BMWs recent introduction of its new 5 series mentioned little about performance and driving dynamics, but rather headlined technology features such as self steering, driver assistance packages (3), self parking, internet connectivity, etc. Makes you wonder if they are selling drivers cars or a drive simulators.

But car manufacturers don't stay alive by offering stuff to people who don't want it and conversely don't stay in business if they fail to offer that technology to people who do want it.

I can only assume that if they are offering it and people are buying it, Porsche will need to follow. I guess this article is confirmation that they need to follow that road to keep the profits rolling.

It's good news in a way. I'm not interested in the stuff so I can save some money by avoiding those tech option packages and the people that are interested will keep more profits rolling for Porsche so they can keep making great sports cars for me and you

tstafford

I'd love to know how Porsche segments its sports car customer personas. They are pros at making money. They know what the 911 customer wants. Seems like luxury and tech are more and more of an expectation.

Valvefloat991

I don't need more tech, but it would be nice if the 2017 PCM worked as well as Sync in a ten-year-old Ford Focus--particularly the voice recognition.

SkipSauls

Connected and autonomous don't mean the same thing. I would like to be able to monitor and control most/all functions remotely via an app, but that doesn't mean I want/need to car to drive for me.

babyjocko

My Tesla Model S already does this plus a lot more. If Porsche wants to go high tech, they have a LOT of catching up to do.

Keadog

It certainly makes sense if they plan to compete with the Panamera IMO. When I cross shopped my S550 4matic v Panamera 4S, it wasn't even close. Sure, the Panamera is "sportier", but the Benz was more powerful, more comfortable, has a lot of tech already and my almost fully loaded S (all "front seat" options but no TVs, refrig, etc in rear) was still $10K less than a "nicely equipped" Panamera 4S.
And, it's easy to get in and out of the rear seats.
When I look to trade the MB in a couple years, I'll look if they've caught up and haven't blown the pricing even further out of the water. But also may go back to an Audi A7 or 8. Or maybe even BMW.
Lots of choices in the over $100K luxury segment that don't have to "improve" their voice command systems.

TAL2GK

No doubt! My biggest (only) complaint after a half year of ownership is the random problems with PCM. 30% of the time when I plug my phone in to charge or to access CarPlay, it doesn't let me use the radio anymore. Of course when I tried to replicate it for the dealer it was the 70% of the time when it worked. Not only can I not use the radio when it's like this, but it also prevents me from streaming Pandora or iHeartradio so I just put the top down and listen to the PSE or unplug my phone and listen to the radio.

Meanwhile, cars like my 2003 BMW Z4 aged so well because the technology in the display (or lack thereof) didn't date the car. Before I bought my C2S, I considered a Maserati GranTourismo. One of the big marks against the Maser was its center display looked straight out of 2008. Which it was.

If I could've ordered my C2S with a regular radio and no display, I would've. As it is, I didn't tick the boxes associated with blind spot monitoring, lane change assist, emergency braking, adaptive cruise, etc. When I'm driving I want to be driving. I understand I'm in the minority but we're already in the minority spending so much for a purpose built car ... especially the wisest amongst us who row their own gears.

Chris C.

Like it or not, software is eating the industrial world

Cars, even performance cars, really are a tool for enjoyment (in case of the 911) so as long as they improve our experience and don't automate the fun things away it's inevitable that car companies begin to capture some of the revenue from the software revolution.

worf928

I'm waiting for them to capture some of the bugs and consequences thereof.

asia

Some interesting comments on tech from Chairman of the Executive Board Oliver Blume in the 2016 Annual Report:

"I don’t believe in a Porsche that is defined by autonomous driving."

"Essentially, you always want to drive a Porsche yourself. No question. But Porsche and autonomous driving are not contradictions. Our aim is to define the autonomous driving functions that suit each model across the model lines – and the functions that don’t. There will obviously be fewer in the 911 than in the Panamera, for example. What matters is to do one thing without neglecting the other. One thing is clear to me: Even if a Porsche can drive automatically,
the experience of driving it yourself must still be an emotional one."

"Imagine you’ve arranged to meet up for dinner in town one evening. You can’t find anywhere to park. You’re short on time so you pull up outside the restaurant, get out and then the car looks for somewhere to park itself. When you leave the restaurant, the car is there to pick you up, with a full tank of fuel and sparkling clean. Or let’s imagine you’re on your way to work in heavy traffic and want to take a look at the newspaper – and the car chauffeurs you through the congestion. But I can also imagine exciting solutions on the race track. You could use automated driving functions to practise taking the racing line in sporty driving. There are absolutely no creative limits."