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Some interesting tidbits.

A Look Back at the Car that Saved Porsche: 20 Years of the Boxster

A few interesting excerpts

Porsche's annual sales had fallen from over 50,000 units in 1986 to 14,000 in 1993, and only 3000 of those sales were in the U.S. Among the chief causes for this decline were a faltering U.S. economy and Porsche's bloated production process. The latter of which was steadily driving prices higher at the worst possible time.

In 1992, Porsche turned to former Toyota engineers to help implement the Japanese company's "just-in-time" production method. Dictating the complete elimination of waste, the philosophy promotes building only what is needed, when it's needed, and in the exact amount needed.

According to a 1996 New York Times story, engineers would have to sift through parts bins and climb ladders to search shelves while building a single car. The impact of the Toyota team was swift and evident. After instituting leaner production methods, Porsche said it had reduced the assembly time for one car from 120 hours to 72, and the number of errors per car had fallen an astounding 50 percent.

Between 1996 and 2003, the Boxster was Porsche's best-selling model until the Cayenne came along.

Ironically enough, once the car tasked with saving the company, the Boxster is now one of Porsche's lowest volume sellers. Shifts in consumer demands and industry trends has seen it far surpassed in sales by the Cayenne—the vehicle now largely responsible for fueling the Porsche engine—and even its 911 sibling. Big people movers are what's selling, and interest in roadsters is waning. But Porsche as a whole is thriving, a far cry from the company once on the brink of bankruptcy, when it decided that maybe an affordable, mid-engine roadster could help turn the company around.