I drove by a dealership yesterday and the lot was full, but not a single 'sports car'. Just a sea of Cayennes, Macans and Taycans. That visual image probably tells us exactly their primary interest and goals.

 

simple. they have shareholders, as such ... they are in the business of making the highest return for every dollar they spend. full stop.

 

there is zero brand mystique to porsche. It is just another bmw or mercedes...i.e. nothing special

 

I feel like this point has been made for a decade or more now as cars have become more infused with tech and have gained weight and size. The outgoing generation is always the "last great" model and the new one has totally lost the heritage. Yet here we are continuing to buy and ultimately enjoy these products.

 

I don't know that these are mutually exclusive? I have a T and we T owners get some good natured flak for being maybe too into our trim level.
I say fair enough but in defense of Porsche and the T in particular, this is a car Porsche didnt need to offer. It's a lower end/cost model with some choice bits and really speak to some of us.
Is it the best model? Probably not in general, but it is the best model for me. Porsche clearly set aside fairly large batches of T models since I've read it was easier to get a T than a Targa, GTS, GT line, etc.
Should Porsche have made fewer Ts to make higher trims? Dollar for dollar, probably yeah. It seems like maybe they didnt, though, and Id like to at least entertain the thought that somebody in Stuttgart knew what they were doing there and why.
Already rambling a bit, but the 911 has maybe changed less than it seems a lot of forum members want to consider when placed against contemporaries.
Nee C8 is faster than an S! Yeah but vettes were usually faster than most 911s. It was never their main selling point. New M3/4 is more luxurious than ever and costs less! Yeah, and I think it's always been that way? New Mustang offers way more power per dollar! Again, that's not new.
911s sort of always traded bragging rights for just generally being subjectively more desirable for any number of reasons that will never make sense to some people. I dont think thats changed at any point and I doubt Porsche is doing any damage to that mentality with their newer offerings.
Ill close by saying, as a T owner, the new hybrid GTS seems pretty cool to me. I wont trade up any time soon lol, but i dont see any kind of betrayal there. I see what the 911 always was to me; an amazing machine.

 

It should be pretty clear neither Porsche nor the dealers care about enthusiasts anymore.

anyone here should be able to walk in to a dealer and either walk out with a car or place a demand order. If someone argues different then they are clowns

 

i disagree. if they didn't care why would they release the T trim? its a low level trim for enthusiasts with a manual transmission. Porsche is one of the very few remaining brands that still offer a manual

so yes, you can get a turbo S with deviated stitching everywhere or you can get a stripped out T with a manual. a flavor for everyone

 

because money. they could have allowed the base to be optioned with a manual when launched but instead they allowed it only on the S/GTS/Targa. Think about that for a minute.

And my point still stands. Can you walk into a dealership and order a T/S/GTS/etc right now? are we splitting hairs about enthusiasts?

 

i agree. they're making it more and more difficult. i had a base manual 991.2 and loved it. never wanted for more power. but with this generation i was forced into a T and i couldn't be happier, so maybe porsche knows whats best for me!! lol

i would be VERY surprised if you couldn't get a 992.2 T with a manual in the near future. if they truly get rid of the manual in their "normal" cars then we can say they no longer care about enthusiasts

 

A lot of these comments come off as Yes or No false dilemma fallacies.

1. Either you agree Porsche only cares about money
-OR-
2. Porsche must [insert my demand here] to appeal to enthusiasts.

I would argue that there's a middle ground in there that allows Porsche to (gasp) make a profit, but also to offer compelling products to willing buyers.​​​​​

 

by compelling you mean make a dozen variants that are limited edition for Porsche to squeeze the whales so they can store it in the garage?

 

The uptake of PDK over manual told Porsche everything they need to know about what most people *want*, and it isn't driving a sports car.

 

You guys sound like a bunch of indie rock band fans who just had their favorite band debut a music video on MTV and are worried they "sold out." They still make great sports cars. They also make lots and lots of grocery getter Cayennes and Macans. Their manufacturing and selling of one doesn't affect the other unless it hurts your feelings that the 997 911 you love shares its badge with a glorified Q5 (or, egads, an EV!).

If you really, really want a sports car only brand (good luck) go find one. Or reconcile to yourself that little old (rich-ish) ladies like to drive Cayennes to lunch at the country club and that the brand ain't what it was back in 1993. Nobody is stopping anyone from buying a manual transmission air cooled 911 and driving that until the wheels come off, but that's not Porsche in 2024. Oh well. Sell outs!

 

drive a 993 in the 90s and compare it to the other cars of the day. Porsche meant something then. Now, you could take the porsche badge off and but a BMW or MB badge on and no one would know. I guess all cars have gotten more similar though. That said, modern porsches are not special in any way.

 

IMO it's more like your favorite band putting out AI generated music with auto tuned vocals. Porsche isn't even offering a manual 911 in 2025, and I don't blame them, people voted for this with their wallets.
I love to wrench, and an old 911 would have provided tons of content. However modern safety is the primary reason I wanted a new car. Driving around with a cage and a helmet is a little too extra for me in a DD.

Again I don't blame Porsche for being a business giving people what they want. I blame all the people who bought a "sports car" in an automatic.