Imagine if that very thing happens 5-10 years from now, and imagine it was caused by brand dilution by the quick fix of a company like Porsche mass marketing a VW Golf engined SUV.

Cayenne sales are not what they were supposed to be, are advertised like heck at discounts, and have taken advantage of the pop that just about any new vehicle gets. Remember Boxster sales when that car first came out?

I guess we'll see.

Just wondering...shouldn't this be bumped to the OT board? Or...to perhaps guarantee even more obscurity..the Cayenne board?

since we're OT
 

Paul, I just saw your letter to editor published in the new R&T about Peter Egan's column(?) Never buy it anymore, so didn't see his last columns, but I like him. You and I are among the guys who remember Henry Manning around here. And Brock Yates, Uncle Tom McCahill, etc... ;)

Did you see the new BMW 6 series coupe in the magazine? I'd buy that in a NY minute if I had the loot to blow. :cool:

Kurt wrote:
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"However, Porsche, which has one of the highest profit margins in the auto industry, posted a 22% rise in net profit to 565 million euros on a 15% increase in sales to 5.58 billion euros for the year ended July 31, 2003, powered by the launch of the Cayenne."
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Unfortunately, that's more Cayenne sales to PCNA and dealers than to owners.

The current quarter should be a bit more indicative.

Brian:

I am not sure what the answer is re Porsche the Company.

Porsche does still build race cars, albeit they are not officially sponsored, but they are winning some big races. Porsche Motorsports is alive and kicking.

If the GT2 and now GT3 and GT3RS are not exciting cars, I am not sure what is.

And the CGT is awesome, and to many, represents the pinnacle of Porsche engineering so far.

If I had the cash, I would be working on a hot-rod longhood and put a 996TT Cab and TT Cayenne in the garage right now . . . and dream about a CGT.

Some have suggested a light-weight, reasonable priced car that would echo the halcyon days of Porsche. That's a great idea and I would welcome it. But, I wouldn't expect such a car to be exceptionally profitable; not like the Cayenne has already proved on paper.

Sales is Sales and the Cayenne is adding significantly, if not carrying the whole Company on its shoulders.

Re dilution, since the 911 there has been a 914, 924, 944 and derivatives and 928; there continue to be folks who are active and enthusiastic owners of all of the above. While some 911 owners might frown on the "derivatives", many of said cars helped Porsche pay the bills and learn something along the way.

I continue to be amazed at the number of folks here who refer to the Cayenne as a "truck" and fail to understand the engineering within this vehicle that has transcended so many boundaries . . . and ignore the standard set by hot laps that eclipse almost all production sports cars yet alone SUVs. Porsche has applied its rally history and knowledge gained in doing so to build the Cayenne -> It shows!

The only constant is change and I welcome it re Porsche; change is a great part of Porsche's heritage . . . and when it happens it is always controversial! :)

One can call the Cayenne ugly, but it is selling and it does perform.

My 2¢

BR,

Kurt

"Sales"

Does Porsche count a unit "sold" when it ships to PCNA or a dealer?

If so, that is news to me and perhaps I should not rely so heavily on the Company sales numbers.

Even if the numbers are half-right, the income and profit are significant. One still can't argue that the Cayenne does not perform, IMO.

Cheers!

Kurt