Think I am going to be sick-Panamera!

[Johnb911]

I just ave one point to make.

Like the Pana or not or who may end up behind that Porche crest.

If this car helps them to survive in today's car market and keep producing great cars so that my son's can also own one then so be it.

Sorry

Point two:
I don't think think that they take all there engineersoff al projects to build a single car. I think they have more than one..

IMHO

[DarrylD]

My Honda CR-V looks more like a Porsche than that Panamerica beast!

[911st]

I mentioned Lotus as the new Porsche. A questin was asked, would I buy a Porsche with a Toyota motor in it.

Got me thinking. I would sure buy a Lotus with one in it. The Toyota four cylinder four valve motor is a sweet little power plant and made very well. I would rather that than worry about the catastrophic failure that seems to run with the 996 and early Boxter line. Lotus and Porsche are engineering and design companies as much as anything. If they had Toyota or Subaru build there motors so I could have a $50-60k Cayman club racer with factory cage and track adjustable suspension I would be happy to buy one.

Porsche is already selling SUV's with a VW chassis in it. They already out source a lot of there components (brakes, seats, motor casting...) Build me the best sports car possible in number grater than Ferrari and in less numbers than the Corvett but will more than match them on the track. I guess I do not mind where the car is made as long as it is among the best quality possible and will stand the test of time from a design, desirability, and quality point of view.

I am not usually so negative. However, My love of Porsche took its first hit with the 996 line. Yes, it is a lighter, more powerful, more capable car but it was only good looking from the rear and then one if set up right. Porsche strayed with the 996 and just mised the mark. Thus, they can be had for less used than the older 993's an may casses. The marke has spoken and it will speak again.

The 997 brought back some hope as it looks like a Porsche. I have nothing against watter cooled Porsche motors. The GT3 motors are wonderfull. It works better and alows for more power so I will take two.

Porsche might be better served of the long run to deliver products consistent with its hearatage and image, of design that can stand the test of time, and of high qualit. This alow there charging of a primunm price. Things like the 996, Cayenne, and now the Panamera put this at risk. Four door and SUV's fit better in the VW and Bentley lines.

Other wise it may not be long before BMW or Toyota (Lexus) makes a better sports car that can out perform a Porsche, for less, and that will hold its value longer.

Sorry for the rant.

[Won]

Originally Posted by 911st

... They already out source a lot of there components...

Yeah, that's only been going on since the 356 days

By the way, Lotus is building a new 4 seater, aren't they? Oh wait, what about the Elan 2+2? Like you say Porsche is an engineering company, so for me as long as they do a good job of engineering I don't see a problem whether it's for an SUV or a 4 door sedan. The VW chassis SUV apparently comes with Porsche running gear and suspension and is actually quite good!

[efhughes3]

I'm sure Mr. Weideking will be retiring at some point in the near future-perhaps they'll send out a job application.

[Dantilla]

I wish Porsche would have come out with a second brand for the Cayenne and Panamera, like Toyota's Lexus. Advertise that it's made by Porsche all you want, but keep the Porsche brand for the sports cars.

I want them to be profitable, but not dilute the good name.

[porcupine911]

i want one.

[darkbeer]

The Audacity of Hope !!!!
I wonder....if negative opinions will be altered by a Pana running your 911 off the road....any road .....

I want Porsche to survive & prosper (secret Vulcan), & I hope they make a fracking killing on this car.
I also hope these Pana's will put the Japanese "sport sedans" dick's in the dirt...then blow the Beamers & Benz's to the side of the road...
I hope their influence on VW makes it a formidable brand again...(move over Toyota)...
I hope they make so much $$$ that they can get 100% back into racing...

Name ONE Porsche that was not (for it's time) a great car (No, the tractors don't count)

[Mikey83835]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I wish Porsche would have come out with a second brand for the Cayenne and Panamera, like Toyota's Lexus. Advertise that it's made by Porsche all you want, but keep the Porsche brand for the sports cars.

I want them to be profitable, but not dilute the good name.

Now that would have been a good idea, call it the Fat-Catmobile or some such,

The most popular street Porsche was the 356 Speedster, no radio, no heater, just a great SPORTY car, just look at the used prices. They advertise the Panamera as having luxury, but have we really gotten so soft that we need or want clutteratura like heated power seats?

They have the Boxter, the Cayman, and the 911 type, all making money I believe, is that not enough? What's next, an econobox Kia type sedan selling for $10K and called a Porsche?

On the other hand, they sadly did not sell many '89 Speedsters, so maybe people are changing...

[TexasPete2720]

Its a salamander

[911st]

I wish for Porsche to survive.

Besides just wanting to vent a little I am holding out a small hope that there is someone in Porsche that loves Porsche's like I do and is a fellow Pelican. That they might read this and a seed might make it to the leadership.

Maybe they will empathize with some of us and just double check that the corporate course they are following is truly taking them in the right direction.

Many a good company has lost its way by following the wrong vision.

On paper the 996 expanded the performance and technology envelope. However with its major motor failures and poor aesthetics as clear evidence that Porsche is fillable.

[Rrrockhound]

Some of you just don't get it. Porsche isn't Koenigsegg; they can't get by just selling a handful of custom built cars to oil sheiks. They're a modern company in a tough marketplace. If you didn't hear, due to the poor economy they announced a production slowdown a few weeks ago. Who else does that? Oh, yes, the Big Three!

http://tinyurl.com/cxpag5

I'd rather see Porsche survive by building cars people want, than see them go away, or have to raise their prices to Ferrari levels.

Why does this weak argument come up with every new model? The original 911, the 914, the 924, the 944, the 928, the Boxster...

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by darkbeer

The Audacity of Hope !!!!
I wonder....if negative opinions will be altered by a Pana running your 911 off the road....any road .....

I want Porsche to survive & prosper (secret Vulcan), & I hope they make a fracking killing on this car.
I also hope these Pana's will put the Japanese "sport sedans" dick's in the dirt...then blow the Beamers & Benz's to the side of the road...
I hope their influence on VW makes it a formidable brand again...(move over Toyota)...
I hope they make so much $$$ that they can get 100% back into racing...

Name ONE Porsche that was not (for it's time) a great car (No, the tractors don't count)

So this is Porsche's only hope?
This is the only way Porsche can/will prosper?

[efhughes3]

Originally Posted by Mikey83835

They have the Boxter, the Cayman, and the 911 type, all making money I believe, is that not enough?

(

Is this a new business strategy, like "new math"? I see it now: Porsche will come up with a maximum profit budget for the year, the board approves it, and that is all they shoot for.

On second thought, maybe there is merit; if companies start limiting their size. That way we don't end up with a bunch of "too big to fail Goliaths".

[timc]

I hate to see it coming, but if it must, I like the design. That is one cool looking sedan. Porsche was looking at 4dr's since the early 60's, and made a 4dr prototype based on the 911. Almost like one of the original dreams has come true. I'll take that any day over a 996/7! At least it does not pretend to be a 911 like the others.

[Jack Olsen]

I'm with the nay-sayers on this one. In my opinion, Porsche doesn't need this (or the Cayenne, for that matter) in order to survive. And in any case, they've done just fine with their Euro-corporate shenanigans with massive hedging and VW. The Cayenne might have helped the bottom line in the short run, but so did the Boxster -- and the Boxster did it without turning a sports car company into just another regular car company. And both the Cayenne and the Panamera are going to face serious trouble generating revenue for Porsche over time. Novelty is just novelty. These non-sports-car models are slowly devaluing the brand, which is a ridiculously expensive mistake in the long run (consider that the only valuable assets in the entire Chrysler world are 1) the fading Mopar legacy and 2) Jeep, the one line in the entire company that actually has some brand-identification value).

In a world already overflowing with high-priced four door European GT cars, Porsche has come to the party right at the end with the ugliest car of the bunch. That interior already looks dated to me, and it hasn't even been released yet.

Sorry to say it, but I'm a hater on this issue. If Porsche needs to make sedans and SUVs to survive, then it's already pretty much gone.

[techweenie]

The Japanese (and recently, BMW) have proved that people will buy ugly expensive cars. Looks to me like these esthetically-challenged folks will have another option.

Sorry to see it, but IMO, the Panamera isn't as big a blow to Porsche as the Cayenne was, and it survived that and was able to build the Carrera GT.

From the brink of disappearance in the mid-90s to being one of the most powerful car companies in the world is a good transition -- and it's largely due to lessons from the Japanese car industry, ironically.

[efhughes3]

The big downside of the Panamera is timing. It probably couldn't be a worse year for the launch of such a car.

Is is a mistake however? Time will tell. I just get amazed at how the armchair "captains of industry" make the call that this is bad strategy or bad business. As techweenie points out, the managment at Porsche have seemed to do pretty well without any of our advice the last decade or so.

I think the only judgment any of us are truly qualified to make is whether we like the car, or not.

[juicersr]

Originally Posted by Jack Olsen

[

Sorry to say it, but I'm a hater on this issue. If Porsche needs to make sedans and SUVs to survive, then it's already pretty much gone.

Couldn't have said it better myself Jack

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=452141

The modern company that call itself 'Porsche' is irrelevant to me. I honestly dont even care anymore what Porsche does. The cars that fire my imagination and thrill me every time i drive them, were built by a company that no longer exists. I have a new sports car too, and it aint a Porsche.

[timc]

Porsche died in my eyes along time ago, not even the same company now. Considering what they have been producing, if they set the price on this to compete with the 7 series so they have room to put their engineering back into a car again, I'd like it.

The days of the pure 911 sports car, engineering master piece, that we all know and love has long been gone. I don't care if they go back to tractors, I'd just like to see them build a good product again.