usccharles

I'm sure this will be moved but i'm in the 991 bus so I want to talk here and get 991 folk responses.

I really do not like this current design cycle of the 911s being last to receive the next generation design change as in the 992. isn't the 911 Porsche's flagship car? shouldn't then it be correct that the new generation design be implemented in the 911 first and then trickled down to the rest of the models? why is it that all the other models get the design changes first and the 911s gets it last? for some reason it seems backwards to me.

i loved that the 918 Spider was a very special Porsche car and many of the parts developed for it trickled down to the 911s. my 911 feels special that it has a lineage to the 918 DNA. but with this new 911 992, all the new changes were basically hinted at the rest of the models first, and now we are seeing it on the 992. that seems so lame, to me IMHO.

wareaglescott

Maybe their theory is to work out the bugs and have the best version possible by the time they roll it out on their flagship vehicle.
Seems like about 50/50 of people like the new stuff vs those complaining over them messing up a classic. Can't please everyone I suppose.

ipse dixit

Because the Panamera and/or Cayenne (the pioneers of Porsche interior design elements) usually sell in far greater numbers than the 911.

evilfij

1Carnut

Not uncommon in other brands either. Take the S class that was at one time the car that got all the new technology and the it tickled down to the rest of the models. Porsche has not been a sports car company for a long time, look at all the suburban housewives driving Cayenne's and Macan's. Yes they make sports car, but they would still be a profitable company if they stopped, you cannot say the same thing if they stopped making SUV's and sedans. Truth be told I could care less about stereo systems, car play, or any of that crap (sorry I'm old and cranky) in my sports cars. Just go fast handle great, and make a wonderful sound.

KM1959

New "technology" gets incorporated on an independent cycle than automobile models. If it is available at the right time during a refresh it gets included with it. Do you think it makes sense to wait until after the 2020 992 debut to introduce new features on the new 2019 Cayenne just because the 991.2 doesn't have it?

TimboCarrera

I'm sure it comes down to $

Porsche_nuts

This. Porsche is making tons of money. They put in cycle updates when they come available. The 911 may be the flagship, but it is far from its biggest seller, and Porsche wants to put technology into the biggest sellers first.

ClassJ

I agree 100% and have been saying this for years.

Porsche seems to want the 911 to be the "flagship" of the brand. They styled all of their cars in the spirit of the 911.

BUT. This all changed in 2010 when the Panamera was introduced. They launched the Panamera in MY2010. Then the second gen 2011 Cayenne got the same styling treatment. In 2012 the 911 got the "Panamera Treatment". Then in 2013 we got the 981 Boxster and Cayman.

The same exact cycle repeated itself now. Start with the Panamera and flow down.

The 911 has slowly morphed into a mini Panamera.

usccharles

i kind of do.

For example, i'm an avid cyclist. and although it is not the case in this across this industry either, many groupsets and frames bring out their top bling carbon fiber models with all the bells and whistles first for all to gawk at. and after that they trickle down cheaper affordable models that the normal folk can afford. but those guys that ride the cheaper aluminum framesets feel pretty good knowing that while they don't have the super expensive carbon fiber model, their aluminum frame shares much of the technology from the flagship frames. it wouldn't feel the same if the aluminum models came out with the new tech first and it flowed up to the flagship models after, which is what Porsche is doing at the moment. just a thought

usccharles

exactly my point. these other models are styled AFTER the 911 not the other way around. the design cycle should also follow that IMH

991carreradriver

Interesting thread! The 911 does seem to be the tail wagging the dog. Now that the 992 has added all this weight to the PDK case to accommodate an electric motor, my guess the hybrid will be along in the 992.2 version in a few years. When I compare my car (2016) to a 992, they are night and day. It is not surprising though as the folks that buy new 911's are not the same demo of just a few years ago. For example, the price of the new cars are astonishing to me. The base price of my 2014 Carrera was 84k and the base 992 is 113k, that's a 35% increase. I can't spec a new "S" for less than what my GT3 cost in 2016. Crazy times.

Tampa991

What always seems odd to me is that the new generation seems to always carry over the same or very similar powertrain...fully revised exterior/interior...and then the facelift gets the revised powertrain. Just following changes from the 996 through the 992. Why not bring the best and brightest to the new generation, and then the facelift and more incremental change. If I was a new porsche buyer, I would always be buying the facelift versions, all the bugs are worked out and you get a new powertrain.