No More 2+2's? Ferrari to Replace Lusso with SUV.

Enzo wouldn't care.

He didn't give a flying **** about road car production. As long as it created enough money for him to race competitively he didn't care

 

ya.... porsche has never recovered... LOL

They just sop up all of their own tears of selling themselves out with all the extra cash they make from them... Occasionally they use the ones that don't get wet to build cars that don't make business sense such as...

The following
918
GT3RS
GT2RS
GT4
Boxster Spyder

I think we would all much rather not have SUVs on the road than even more focused sports cars... Everyone should learn from porsche how bad of an idea all of this is...

Yes... this is called sarcasm

I hope they sell the **** out of the SUV and bring back a mid engined 3.0 liter v8 carbon or aluminum chassis car that has a manual transmission and less than 400 hp stuck to a 6 speed manual with a sexy body and no roof. Damn the numbers... give me the experience. Everyone else is chassing numbers

 

It is odd to say on one hand they limit high end models to keep desirability and exclusiveness to the point of being sued over not selling one to someone, and then even consider making SUVs (assuming its true).

Interesting how those two opposite strategies play out and compete against each other.

Read an interesting interview with pagani on the topic. Automobile magazine perhaps? Don't remember.

 

thank you.

 

That above list is amazingly short when compared to
Cayenne: gen1 and gen2
Macan
Panamera Gen1 and Gen 2

Take into account the numbers made of those "special cars" against the numbers of the above it really its clear to whilst making good cars Porsche has become primarily a maker of SUV's and sedans. As for those cars not making business sense, they made fantastic business sense to traders and speculators, encouraged by low build numbers.

Agreed, I'd like to see a Ferrari version of the Alfa 4C and we may yet see one but if production needs to be increased I would prefer to see that car built in numbers than a lumbering SUV.

Yes, I know what sarcasm is.

 

You made my point... (perhaps that was your point and I got lost in the sarcasm LOL)

1. Porsche has not lost their identity. When someone says Porsche... people think 911. They have not lost the brand identity.

2. Yes those cars you wrote were limited. Thats my point entirely. They wouldn't make ANY SENSE to build on a standard production scale. Limited is a two way street. Limited means limited number of cars... as well as a fixed cost to the manufacture. It is very easy to quantify a program if you can determine how much money you will either make or lose... and know it all up front. Here is also the beauty of it as well... The cars are sold before they are even offered... so they litterly know how much the car/program will make them/cost them! That is what makes it easy for a manufacture to justify these. Thats why Porsche has come out with so many special editions in the last 15 or so years. They sort of discovered something knew... and its cheaper to do these limited productions than bend to the special requests of individual clients. This seriously solved alot of issues for them.

3. As far as making business sense to traders and speculators... Porsche doesn't give a flying **** about those people. And with this new GT2RS... they will punish those that did flip etc... Porsche doesn't give a **** about secondary market... they don't make any money from the secondary market. Which is exactly why they put a 6 speed in the new gt3. Guess... what... all the people are going to rush out and buy GT3s and its a huge buzz right now... guess what fell in price.. older gt3 prices... does porsche care? Nope (please excuse this rant if I missunderstood you)

Now don't get me wrong... Every manufacture has to care a little about resale... otherwise you end up being mclaren and despite how great your product is... people don't trust you to not put out a better car next week. SO there is a balance... but when people say ohh... its the last manual or the last naturally aspirated yada yada yada... they are fools. These are for profit companies... they will do what it takes when necessary NOTHING IS SACRED.

The one thing I think Ferrari has done a tremendous job of and to me is the answer of... why isn't a porsche ranked the same as Ferrari? Why is ferrari so special and people pay millions and millions and millions for each classic... why isn't prosche that way.

My answer is... Porsche is the original Mclaren. The best porsche to own... is always the next one. Ferrari... that isn't exactly the case... and collectible wise... it has helped those cars tremendously

 

About 67% of Porsche sales are SUVs. It doesn't appear to have hurt them.

 

I dunno man... they seem like they are drowning in cash as the most profitable car maker on the planet... I can see how some would see it as a bad move. I mean Enzo ONLY cared about road cars... thats where his passion was. He raced to sell street cars...

ohh wait... me thinks I have that backwards

 

You do well at sarcasm.

Porsche may be profitable but is Porsche a maker of "sports cars", the above figure would suggest not. Would you tell me Porsche is as exclusive today as it was in 1975. Would you day Porsche have stuck to their roots as a sports car maker?

Push come to shove a Corvette is more exclusive than a 911. My point is simple, they can build 918s, they can built GT2 RS but when they build more SUVS that cease to be a maker of sports cars and added to which the sports cars they do build aren't event available to most people.

It would be an interesting exercise to see profitability per unit, Porsche versus Ferrari. Which brings me to my next point, why go SUV, why not go light manual sports car, perhaps, well perhaps something like a Dino?

Brand perception is an important thing:

30 years ago, mention Porsche and people said: 911
Today mention Porsche and its: Macan, Cayenne, even down here those abound in substantial numbers.

 

How times have changed.

There was a time that the 308GT4 was a "Dino", because a "Ferrari" had 12 cylinders.

Rumor has it that the California was originally intended for the Maserati marque ... until prices went too high.

Why wouldn't they produce their "family car" with a Maserati name plate?
Because it'll cost too much?

Is FCA really designating marques by price, rather than function?

That's potentially detrimental to all the marques.

Or are the middle managers starting to "stovepipe" their departments?
A lack of corporate cooperation, as the middlemen defend their little empires?
That would point to poor overall management.

 

LOL I have my moments.

In my opinion (which means next to nothing) If you play the word association game if you say Porsche people say 911. Not cayenne or panmera etc... they say 911 heck they don't even say boxster.

Porsche has done an amazing job at expanding.(By the way I despise Porsche so its tough for me to type any of this). They have done a great job getting into SUVs without tarnishing there sports car line and of course there image.

If anything I think it has almost helped them become something other than a ******ry car. I think it has brought the brand to some people who normally just thought only pricks drove Porsches... now kennys mom down the street drives one too... and everyone still aspires to have a 911 in the garage... in other words Porsche still means sports cars.

I peronsally think it has made the brand more palatable by others. I think it opened them up to people who wouldn't have considered them. As crazy as it sounds... its almost like a Harley... Many people think dirt bags ride them (and yes many do) but the majority of the buyers are 50 plus year old guys who are very successful and can buy a 25k motorcycle and never ride it.


If the FF is any sign of how an SUV might be executed... I think we are in for something exciting.



All this being said... I wish Ferrari would never build one... I wish they would just build a new version of a 250 testa rossa. No windows, manual, great sound, light weight etc... Thats what I want. BUT... if I had to let Ferrari build an SUV to get it... Id be ok with that. Id rather them sell an SUV than a Ferrari branded toilet seat.

And just so we are all aware Ferrari/pinninfarina have already built sedans and wagons for a particular client.

 

Makes sense, actually.