Volkswagen Begins to Map the Future for the House of Porsche - Car News Porsche’s Panoply.
BY JUERGEN ZOELLTER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MANUFACTURER, ILLUSTRATION BY RADOVAN VARICAK December 2009

Until he was beheaded (figuratively) in a recent battle with über-VW-mogul Ferdinand Piëch, Porsche chairman Wende*lin Wiedeking was close to occupying the big chairs at both Porsche and Volkswagen, where one of his first goals was to make VW take a considerable amount of cost out of its future product. But in the power struggle that ensued, it was Volkswagen that ended up owning Porsche, instead of vice versa, and Wiedeking was sent packing (with a colossal severance payoff). Now Piëch, the chairman of Volkswagen AG’s supervisory board, and VW chief executive officer Martin Winterkorn are calling the shots at Volkswagen and nine other brands under the VW umbrella, including Porsche. And what both leaders are looking for regarding Porsche’s future seems to be clear: Porsche has to sell more cars. A lot more cars.

Currently, Porsche is selling about 75,000 units per annum. Instead of the incremental addition of model variants as in previous years, the new VW bosses are demanding that several new Porsche models enter production in a short three-year span. Eventually, the new bosses are pushing for Porsche to sell 150,000 vehicles annually. Here is Winterkorn’s take on Porsche’s product line: The slow, evolutionary steps of the 911 have been too small. The Cayenne, even in its second generation (due later this year), is still too heavy, thirsty, and not innovative enough. The Boxster and the Cayman don’t sell in great enough numbers, and the new Panamera is too big and heavy. Above all, the Panamera’s chassis is used only for a single model today, which is not as profitable as it could be.

What to do?

Two words: platform sharing. Volkswagen has shown that its engineers and designers are capable of creating unique character out of careful modifications to a single platform. The Audi TT and the VW Golf come to mind. Their driving characteristics, packaging, design, equipment, and appeal are different enough that customers may not suspect that the two cars have a lot in common. The platform-sharing strategy has worked for the group’s volume brands: Audi, SEAT, Škoda, and Volkswagen. In the future, platform sharing will be applied among the group’s premium brands: Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and Porsche.

BABY BOXSTER: The first planned step is the creation of a roadster to slot in under the Boxster. Ex-boss Wiedeking believed that a Porsche smaller than the Boxster might dilute the brand, but Winterkorn wants a Porsche-badged, small mid-engined roadster based on the two-seat VW BlueSport concept car shown last January at the Detroit auto show. When badged as a Volkswagen, a SEAT, or a Škoda, the production version of the roadster would have 120- and 200-hp gas engines. As a Porsche, the little roadster would have a twin-turbo four-cylinder making about 300 horsepower. There are rumors coming from VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters that suggest this new powerplant could be a horizontally opposed four-cylinder. Detuned, the new flat-four could also be used in Volkswagen cars such as the New Beetle’s replacement.

CAYENNE: This SUV’s 2017 replacement won’t retain the current model’s off-road capability and top speed of more than 160 mph. Instead, it will lose weight (while remaining the same size as today’s Cayenne) and get more fuel-efficient engines.

911: Perhaps the most difficult question surrounds the future of the iconic Porsche two-door. Today, the 911 comes in 14 different flavors, but since the 911’s engine went water cooled in 1998, the changes between one generation and the next have been kept small to ensure the happiness of 911 loyalists. But Winterkorn’s intentions are now to change the 911 more extensively by implementing new technologies faster—just don’t expect the 911 exteri*or design to change dramatically. These new technologies will likely include the use of more lightweight components and more innovative engine and electronic technologies. For example, ultralight fiber-optic electrical architecture would shed pounds off the current car’s wiring harness, while a race-derived sequential gearbox would find its way into sporty versions (the 911 GT2 and GT3). Under VW’s guidance, the 911 could become a leader in innovative technology—and that’s what Porsche devotee Piëch wants to see.