-eztrader-

Interesting read here:

http://www.motortrend.com/news/porsc...567#sf64429567

Drifting

interesting, thanks,


Crazy that macans are now 40% of all porsches sold.

I understand Porsche wants to make money, but it does make driving a Porsche a bit less special when there are so many macans and cayennes on the road.

At least GT car sightings are still rare!

Zulu Alpha

While I agree that Porsche has lost some of its "specialness" ever since they introduced the SUVs and such, but IMO, I'd rather be driving them than their equivalent competitor at the moment, so I guess that makes them a bit special to me.

Drifting

Porsche are still way more special than the usual cars people drive.

each year VW and Toyota each sell 10 million cars
each year BMW, Mercedes, and Audi each sell 2 million cars

last year Porsche sold 220,000 cars and Ferrari sold 8,000

Porsche aren't as rare as Ferraris anymore, but Porsche still occupies a nice sweet spot of specialness, in that they are way less common than the regular cars like Toyota or VW, and still much less common than the 2 million BMWs, audis, and benzs sold this year, but Porsche aren't so rare that you have people leaning out their windows to take pictures all the time, or messing with your car at gas stations and parking lots, like you do with a Ferrari.

And you can get a Porsche serviced in any mid-sized city, you don't have to live in a city of millions to be near a Porsche dealer, like you do with Ferrari/Mclaren/Lambo.

It's a nice sweet spot of rareness, convenience, price etc, plus they are fantastic cars if you like to track.

GTorTT

I guess I don't understand the view that making Cayenne's and Macans detracts from the quality or desirability of the sports cars. I started with a C2S and then bought a TTS. Liked them so much we bought my wife a Cayenne and were very happy with it. I followed up by buying a Cayenne GTS, which I still have.


I never get in my TTS or GT4 and say to my self "this car is less fun because the same company makes an SUV". Just don't get it. They are making a product that has been well-received in the market, and provides the financial stability for them to continue to engineer great sports cars. And I have to say the Cayenne GTS is the best SUV I've ever owned. Its actually fun to drive.

signes

I don't see Porsches as any less "special" since the built the Cayenne, Panamera and now the Macan. The worry for some would be that they would lose their way, and focus too much on volume cars over the 911 heritage of the company. I think they've done well to balance their resources. The 911 and all of its variants lead most sports car rankings, as do the Cayenne for SUVs, Macan for CUVs, and Panamera for sports sedans (all at the premium price/segment.) They've defined some of those segments, so bravo Porsche.

At least they haven't lost their way like BMW has. Their focus on the i range and chasing Mercedes in hyper-segmenting has seriously impacted the M branded cars. We thankfully aren't seeing Cayenne and Macan GT3 or RS.

robmypro

Here in Colorado I see a ton of Cayenne's and Macan's. Not many 911's. Rare to see a GT car. I don't really connect the desirability of the SUVs to the GT cars. Different animals.

robmypro

No kidding buddy! There is almost no distinction between series, as I cannot even tell them apart until I see the rear exhaust tips. Not to mention everything comes with an M badge of some sort, like our 550i for example.

I have no idea what BMW is doing.

-eztrader-

Agree on all counts. They have really lost it. They should do some top level management replacing ASAP IMO.

bronson7

Porsche's are certainly not as rare as they once were and I still crave their GT cars. They continue to grow in other segments of the automobile world and I have no problem with that, as long as we see the 911 range continue to improve, I'm not worried.

Drifting

True. Very different drivers, unless it's someone like gtott that drives a real Porsche sports car in addition to their SUV.

I wave or flash my lights when I see another 911/Cayman based car on the road as it's a fellow sports car enthusiast. I don't when I see a Cayenne, Macan, or Panamera.

CDH911C2S

I agree with your original point...a bit of the shine is gone from the rare diamond--so to speak. I notice the waving from other 911 owners is on the decline---they are too busy on their smartphones...lol.

I can also appreciate that the new line of SUV's and cars have given Porsche the finances to build a better 911...And the Macan really does drive like a million bucks. The new Panamera looks to be a winner as well and finally attractive.

Still---at least it is not a BMW.

Cheers

gt-2

I don't give a rats behind about exclusivity, that's for those craving attention and others that are obsessive about resale value! I want a solid sports car that I can drive the snot out of at track and drive it back home, I could care less if they built 1 or 100k. Who gives a crap about anything else......anyone who thinks it's not a money making endeavor for manufacturer's is in la la land. Some argue about making more GT cars but so much behind the scenes planning and estimates goes on for production planning that many have no clue about. Many many many variables exist months and sometimes years ahead of actual production that must be committed to early. They hope they are correct and sometimes they come up short but sh*t hits the fan if they miss estimates and produce too many and incentives to sell cars cuts bottom line very quickly so they don't want to be wrong and as a result are sometimes conservative. Those of you that think they just flip a switch and produce more of something overnight are clueless. If you are unhappy at how they produce too many or how little they produce to little should just switch brands, it's not a exclusivity contest with your neighbors.

BryanCO

Wait, what?

Anyway, agree with others in that I hope that we don't see Porsche in 15-20 years being like BMW trying to fill nearly every market niche and overusing the M brand.

mcsmcs1

You're kidding yourself, if you don't think that Porsche's dependence on suv sales for a majority of its corporate revenue doesn't change the ethos of the brand. That said, I think they have so far managed to walk a fine line, and those suv sales help foot the bill for sports car development.