Looks like a streched 911 (996) (e.g. kinda ugly, kinda cute) and a styling derivative of the current Audi A4/6/8 line.
That has been around different sites quite some time but thanks for posting. From what i have read that is just someones interpretation of what porsche might be building. Other than WW saying that his neighbors would not like what they are thinking of doing i have not seen any definate word yet. Would be nice to see a well done hammer smacker. T
It would be nice, but they need to change the design. That design, imo, only looks good with two doors. It would be nice to have another competitor out their for the M5. The E39 M5 still romps on the E55 and the RS6.
I think its ok too but what i have seen elsewhere is that image did not come from porsche but is a private persons mock up. T
Wow. A new 928! I never thought they would do it. Now I'm holding out hope for a new Mondial (2+2 360!), but perhaps that's now called a 'Maserati'.......
There is indeed supposed to be a replacement for the 928 in about 2007 Unlikely that is how it will look. It is made to go against the 2 seater touring cars ie Ferrari 550
I have been a huge Porsche enthusiast for most of my life and I have owned several of them but everyday I lose more interest. First an SUV and now this? Ferry must be rolling in his grave. I know it's all about profits but come on! Where is this new 911 that's supposed to look more like the 993? When is that going to be introduced? Or let me guess, it's been shelved so that they can get to work on a Pickup truck. Azzholes!
Yup, I believe the good days are over...The only glimmer of hope is if they put the Carrera GT in Lemans.
Man I can't wait. Maybe if we're lucky they will make a station wagon version. Even better maybe they can make it into a minivan! And last maybe a bigger SUV than the Cayenne to compete with the Hummer H2. We could call it the BUMMER H2!!!!!!!!! Geeezzzzzz! Now I remember why after 10 years of Porsche ownership I switched over to Ferrari 8 years ago. Porsche builds a SUV and Ferrari still refuses to install a cupholder in it's cars (and rightly so). This is quite sad!!! Regards, Jon P. Kofod www.flatoutracing.net ex-911 Carrera owner, ex-944 S2 Cabrio owner, ex-993 owner
I think out of any of the top sports car manufacturers, Porsche can pull this off the best. However, that rear end looks good on the coupe, but not the sedan. They need to make a few adjustmants, the rear-end drop off is waaay to gradual in my opinion.
I think Porsche's philosophy is more than profit for the sake of profits. They need diversity to remain an independent and they want to remain indpendent so they can build the cars they want without being controlled by a GM, Ford, etc. owner. To continue down the single segment would be unwise because there are huge ups and downs in the high-end sports car market (which is highly dependent upon economic trends that Porsche has no control of). A couple bad years could put them under (which almost happened in the 90's), so the SUV and 4-door are good business decisions even if not everybody is happy with this direction. I don't think these are greed plays, these are tactical steps to maintain 100% control of their product and I find this admirable. For whatever reason, the Porsche SUV didn't bother me at all -- but a Ferrari SUV would make me sick. I think they are very different brands even though they serve similar markets. The Ferrari SUV is unlikely to be a necessity because Ferrari has the (relative) stability from Fiat that allows them to survive temporary downturns in the high-end sports car market.
Those are valid points. Maybe Porsche could create an in-house spinoff brand like Toyota has with Scion. This would differentiate the "necessary evil" models (Cayenne and 4th model line) from the true sports cars that the company was founded on and survived with for over 50 years. That way they could keep the enthusiasts happy and keep their lifeline as well. What's the point of remaining independent if you completely lose focus of your history and identity? I'm not trying to put down the Cayenne or those who love it. I just don't think that it fits the true image of the Porsche brand. I also find it hard to believe that Ferry Porsche or his father would have insisted on remaining independent if it took making an SUV to do it.
Creating another brand would have been a much better approach to accomplish both goals, but it is fairly expensive to do that because they would need to create another dealer franchise, marketing, etc. There was also the risk that another brand might not sell as well as the Porsche name. These are risks that a larger company would probably take, but it may not have been something Porsche could do -- for Porsche, every major initiative is basically tossing a fairly large number of eggs in one basket (and they don't have that many eggs). Being independent isn't all it's cracked up to be -- it allows you to control your own destiny, but it also demands that you manage the business from a cash flow perspective and this often results in decisions that don't appear to be sensible from the outside. I've seen plenty of reasonably successful companies that would have been much more successful if they "sold out" earlier -- most often because they had to manage the business with a short-term focus to survive. I think Porsche is doing very well as an independent company -- and there aren't many of them left; however they might be a much better company today with better products if they had sold out to a larger entity that would allow them to fund more of what is on their internal wish list. The trick is to find a large parent that will fund their initiatives without destroying the creative and efficient environment that exists within Porsche today.
>Geeezzzzzz! Now I remember why after 10 years of Porsche ownership I >switched over to Ferrari 8 years ago. There isn't anything inferior about producing more than sports cars, but there is something very inferior about following the market (ie. competing), rather than creating the market. Competition is for the unfit. >Porsche builds a SUV and Ferrari still refuses to install a cupholder in it's cars (and rightly so). Not only does Ferrari refuse to install a cupholder in its cars (and very rightly so), but the price reflects the car with cupholders. This is fitness.
mjgermane, I agree with you. A car to shake up the M5/RS6/E55 segment would be very welcome. I don't think it detracts from the Porsche range at all. No more than an A-class detracts from the SL55 AMG.
Why would Porsche want to create another brand when they already exist in the VW / Audi conglomerate? The company already makes expensive sedans...many of them. A8, Phaeton, etc. This isn't just Porsche diversifying for the heck of it - it's Porsche making a sedan because Porsche wants it's own performance-oriented sedan., i.e. not with another brand name. If they wanted to use another brand name they could call it an Audi RS8 and strap in a twin turbo W12. (wow, what a car that would be!)
Are you sure? Porsche started its life with a VW engine - in the 356? I must have been confused by that. How come the Touareg shares the Cayenne underpinnings then? Is there a relationship between the companies?
It was Ferdinand Porsche and his company, Dr.-Ing. H.C. Ferdinand Porsche GmbH, that designed the Volkwagen Beetle. It was his son, "Ferry" Porsche, that began the company, Dr. Ing. H.C.F Porsche AG and designed the Porsche 356 and, yes, the 356 did begin life powered by VW engines. The two companies have had close ties ever since. They collaborated on the Porsche 914 and 924 before their joint effort on the Toureg/Cayenne. They also share a dealer network here in the US.
Oh, ok - it's the collaborations that threw me off. One of my friends has a 996 C4S. He takes it in for service and they give him an Audi Allroad as a loaner. Thanks for the info.