A question for you guys and gals about Porsche! (luxury, vehicles, German)

[brikag]

A sedan for Porsche? A good or bad idea? For those Porsche-philes out there that hate the SUV, Cayenne, what do you think of the Panamera that will be coming out?

Porsche Releases first Official Teaser Shot of Panamera Sedan - Carscoop

[M3 Mitch]

I think it's intended for a different audience than the "traditional" Porsche sports cars.

I don't "hate" the Cayenne but it's not a car I would want to own.

If it helps the financial situation with the company, why not build it?

[Drover]

The "Porsche Purists" who howled when the Cayenne came out really ought to shut up. The success of the Cayenne played a big part in securing Porsche's financial position such that a) they have been able to maintain their independence by becoming far less susceptible to a buyout from a larger company, and b) they had resources to vastly improve the object of the Purists' worship, namely 911 line.

I don't understand Porsche Purity anyway. It's mostly by accident that they became a "sports car" company. This is the company that designed the Volkswagen Beetle, used to make tractors and tried to win a contract to make Jeep-type vehicles for the German army. I don't see how either the Cayenne or the Panamara is violative of the Porsche legacy.

[hsw]

Panamera doesn't sound promising for a high-end commuter sedan...

Arguably most popular high-end commuter sedan in SiliconValley and BeverlyHills is Mercedes S65, so that's benchmark against which Panamera will be compared in major markets

Panamera simply lacks comparable effortless torque, comfort, advanced tech (DistronicPlus, etc)....hatchbacks/SUVs are fugly econoboxes....and hatchback risk of having one's unsecured trunk items poss launching as intra-car missles into passenger compartment during severe deceleration/collision doesn't suggest superior safety engineering...

[sean98125]

Today's Porsche is not the marque that Ferdinand founded. Instead of focusing on doing one thing exceptionally well, they have followed the lead of so many other companies by diluting their brand to the point that it no longer stands for what it once did.

See also Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Disney, Jeep.

[Nepenthe]

Dilution, sure. But that doesn't mean a 2008 Cayman S isn't a very pure, focused sports car experience. I think Porsche makes the best cars in the world. I'd rather have seen a new 928 than the Panamera "four door coupe," but Porsche still makes wonderful vehicles and this will likely be no exception.

[brikag]

As a devout VW fan, I love Porsche. But the hardcore fans out there think it is a sacrilege to have a SUV and sedan in their line-up. I say, "PHOOEY!!!" Let Porsche do what they do best. Make an exotic dream for me to strive for!!!!

[Drover]

I'm not sure how anyone can claim "dilution" when, as I mentioned before, this is the company that designed the Beetle, built farm tractors, and tried to mass-produce a German version of the Jeep. The purists' notion of "the brand" supposedly being diluted was built on the success of the 911... yet two years later the company released the 912, followed by the 914, followed by the 924, followed by the 944, followed by the 968, followed by the Boxster. And somewhere in there you have to throw in that flabby GT car, the 928. In other words, there has always been an entry-level sports car whose performance has been substantially below that of the halo car; additionally, Porsche had a GT to accompany the line for nearly 20 years starting in 1978. In some ways the Cayenne fills the gap left by the 928.

In other words, Porsche has been producing "diluted" cars for at least as long as they've been considered a serious sports car builder. So help me understand how the Panamera constitutes any more of a dilution of Porsche's legacy than the 912, 914, and the 924/944 and the 968? Answer: it doesn't. The Porsche purists' vision of the Porsche "brand" does not match up with the company's own vision of its brand, either as it sees itself now or as it has ever seen itself in the past.

[yo vanilla]

Porsche was very serious about building a sedan back in the early 90's, but their financial crisis at the time prevented them from doing so. Once Weideking turned them around, the sedan idea morphed into the Cayenne. They took strong note that many, many of their owners also had a luxury SUV parked in the garage.

I'm still a bit torn on the presense of the Cayenne, but it did help them become (by far) the most profitable automaker in the business. By far. If that helps them build a better 911 or the Cayman (which is excellent, by the way, I was one of the lucky first to drive it ) then I can't dismiss it. AND once I pulled a Chevy plow truck out of a snow ditch with a Cayenne V6 . I've got a picture to prove it.

As far as the Panamara goes, I'm not sure how the outcome will be. It's looking to be a bit of an ugly duckling, and expensive too. But don't forget even Aston Martin is going to build a 4 door saloon.

edit, the aftermath:


That's me kneeling by the truck

[Drover]

Originally Posted by yo vanilla

Porsche was very serious about building a sedan back in the early 90's, but their financial crisis at the time prevented them from doing so. Once Weideking turned them around, the sedan idea morphed into the Cayenne. They took strong note that many, many of their owners also had a luxury SUV parked in the garage.

Exactly. One of the first questions I frequently heard when the Cayenne concept was shown was "who the hell wants a Porsche SUV?" My first answer was always "people who would like a workhorse Porsche to tow their street Porsche to the track on track day." Sure enough that's been a fair segment of their clientele.