So what direction will Porsche take?

Will it harken back to the singular vision and philosophy of its engineering genius founder manifested in its light and agile sports cars built unlike any other? Or will it dial up its racing heritage, which at one point was the envy of most of the other car manufacturers around the world (Ferrari excluded, of course)?

How about none of the above?

As for the “singular vision of its engineering genius founder” angle, uh, not so much. After all, Porsche gave up that opportunity with the introduction of the Cayenne, a bloated blunderbuss of an SUV that had about as much genuine Porsche innovation in it as a pair of a usuriously-priced Porsche Design sunglasses.

What about the racing heritage thing? Highly unlikely, given that the appeal of racing still needs to be nurtured and developed from the ground up in China. Remember that racing, motorsport and high performance seem to curry little favor with the typical Chinese buyer who associates being driven as the ultimate form of motoring luxury and prestige, as opposed to gripping the wheel of a high-performance sports car.

What exactly will the Porsche brand stand for in China then?

I think we were given a very large clue at the Shanghai auto show this week when Porsche staged the worldwide debut of the first four-door sedan in its history, the Porsche Panamera. As far removed from its founder’s philosophy as you can possibly get – at least without being a truck - the Panamera is an oddly configured sedan with a heightened roof line to allow more room in the back seat so wealthy Chinese owners can be driven around in them. (As a matter of fact, it is said the Wendelin Wiedeking, Porsche’s CEO, had to be able to sit in the back of the Panamera comfortably before the car’s ungainly humpback design would get the green light.)

So amidst the rapid change taking place in the global automotive market today we have another fundamental shift taking place right before our eyes, and it’s just as staggering to contemplate. Porsche, which spent most of the first 60 years of its existence establishing itself as one of the most decorated auto manufacturers in the world and a company responsible for some of the most desirable sports and racing cars ever built - machines that at the company’s peak bristled with its founder’s original vision and philosophy - has begun to reposition itself for this new century in order to exploit the largest automotive market in the world.

The Panamera four-door sedan – or “Four, uncompromised” as Porsche describes it – not only marks the end of the historical legacy that once forged the reputation of Porsche, it’s a blatant repudiation of everything that its founder once stood for. The Porsche that once built its reputation with lithe, lightweight sports cars that ran flawlessly and won countless competition events at racetracks all over the world is now gone forever. You can still get a glimpse of its soul at the company’s new museum in Stuttgart or at an American Le Mans Series race when one of its 911 racers go by, but that’s as far as it goes.

In its place is something that its leader, Wendelin Wideking, likes to refer to as “the most profitable car company in the world.” A mercenary, money-generating machine that can adapt, exploit, pursue and conquer new markets at will with its cynically and blatantly calculated concoction of faux “Porsche-ness,” packaged in increasingly grotesque design statements in order to cater to a buyer who has no clue about what the brand once stood for, let alone care.
It’s a brilliant brand strategy and one sure to pave Porsche’s future roads with gold, as long as hoary concepts like history, integrity and authenticity don’t get it in the way.

We are not only bearing witness to the turmoil that is upending the automotive industry as we once knew it with each passing day - altering its future and this country’s role in it forever - we’re watching a company formerly known for its heritage, its uncompromising vision, and its sheer will for excellence turn its back on its history once and for all. Get ready for the “new” Porsche, ladies and gentlemen. A mad, soulless mishmash of design cues blended together with a dollop of hypocrisy and manufactured emotion thrown in for good measure.

Four, uncompromised?

Hardly.

No, it’s authenticity, simulated.

And a once-glorious company, compromised.