Porsche: Still a Sports Car Company Despite Crossover Success
The 911 may be one of Porsche’s lowest volume sellers these days but its DNA is very much alive and well, says Global CFO Lutz Meschke.
Without a doubt, the manner in which Porsche has changed over the last several years is astounding. For decades, the 911 stood alone atop the brand’s lineup. And no one ever thought that would change. But today, the 911 represents only a small portion of Porsche’s overall sales. To enthusiasts, it’s still the proverbial king of the hill. But in the real world, the 911’s importance to Porsche has drastically changed.
Porsche fanatics let out a simultaneous, audible groan when the Cayenne debuted back in 2003. But its success and importance cannot be denied. The brand’s first SUV, along with the Boxster and Cayman, helped save a company whose sales had fallen in the gutter. In the years since then, Porsche has introduced even more non-traditional vehicles like the Macan and Panamera. Every one of them unique, yet they all share one important thing in common.
Well, two things, actually. Each has been a big sales success. But more importantly, each is fun to drive. That’s because Porsche managed to instill that 911 DNA in all of them. They built an SUV and a four door that drive like a proper Porsche should. Each of these vehicles has helped keep the company afloat as demand for traditional sports cars wavers. But in spite of that dramatic shift, their focus has never wavered.
‘It’s not important, the total sales number. It’s more important to make it clear that
we have our sports car DNA in all of our cars.’
“It’s important to be seen as a sports car company, not as an SUV company,” Lutz Meschke, Porsche’s Global CFO, explained to Forbes. “It’s not important, the total sales number. It’s more important to make it clear that we have our sports car DNA in all of our cars.”
The same can be said about the rise of electric vehicles. Porsche sees EVs as yet another opportunity to put their mark on another non-traditional vehicle segment. Instead of building vanilla hybrids and electric vehicles centered on simply improving fuel economy and lowering emissions, they’ve built cars that use their electrified drivetrains to further performance as well.
And enthusiasts can rest assured that the company won’t mess with the 911’s invaluable DNA too much. When asked if we would ever see a fuel economy focused hybrid drivetrain or a lower priced four cylinder option, Meschke didn’t mince words.
“That’s not an option… [the 911] is not a field for experiments.”
