Does anyone else think that the new Porsche Cayenne SUV is a mistake??
I think that Porsche producing an SUV is a BIG mistake! I think it'll damage their image as one of the best makers of sports cars. What they need now is a 2+2 front engined Gran Tourer.
Well you may not like it, but it's probably just the thing they need now.
I have been talking to a few dealers over the past month or so and they say this has to be the best time to buy a Porsche. Nobody is buying them, and a flood of late model low mileage examples are coming back onto the market. Repo's of 911's are at an all time high in more than a decade! There also has been an unprecidented amount of Porsche repo's from owners who never made their FIRST payment! I guess a bunch of folks were making $25k/year and suddenly showed a couple of dot com paychecks to qualify? Kinda sad how the tow trucks cruise Cisco parking lots like sharks these days...
I think Porsche needs to do something to bring people back into the showroom. An SUV will do it becuase thats what "people" want. Enthusiasts are different of course, but there's not enough of us to keep 'em afloat by ourselves.
Look how many people pay $20k extra for a Tahoe with extra chrome and a Cadillac badge on it. I think we'll all be surprised how well the Porsche does.
I think this is a mistake. they are getting away from what they are known for. people might buy them and they might do allright but in 10 years time this will be looked on as a footnote in Porsche history.
I dont understand the need a sportier SUV than what the stock X5 gives you.
I dont understand the need a sportier SUV than what the stock X5 gives you.
ME
Well, X5 is BMW, Porsche doesn't have an SUV to take sales away from BMW, hence they are losing business to other companies. I think it is very wise of porsche to do this, it get a whole new market for sales. And who wouldn't want to get a Porsche SUV? (i am reffering to those who buy cars for status). If someone has a choice between a Porsche SUV and a BMW or Acura...i think the choice is obvious (if they are in the same price range).
As a SUV driver for the last few years having driven all kinds. Jeeps, Toyota's, etc. I can tell you that although they're pretty much the thing for everybody to have, they don't handle, accelerate or brake too well compared with cars. I had the chance to own a ML55 for a couple of months. I got it thinking that it'd be the closest thing I could get to automobile nirvana getting a SUV that handles every bit as well as a car. Although it accelerates pretty much faster than most cars out there, it handles pretty badly. IMHO, I think it's a mistake for manufacturers to try and build faster SUV's to compete with cars. On the flip side, I will admit that the X5 with the sport package comes pretty close to handling like a car which surprised me! One can only wonder what it'd be like when the Cayenne comes out.
Originally posted by Hutzal: If someone has a choice between a Porsche SUV and a BMW or Acura...i think the choice is obvious (if they are in the same price range).
-hutz-
I think the Cayenne will be priced higher than the X5.
I think it is a big mistake. First of all, it damages the company's image - it is just ridiculous. Hell, Porsche made a very fine high end GT - the 928 - and couldn't even succeed with IT because it just wasn't true enough "Porsche".
But also, I think they tried to capitalize on the yuppie-mobile market that BMW and Mercedes created with the X5/ML - and they are too late. I predict that the high-end SUV market will soften very quickly thank to the market dip, energy crisis, and associated belt-tightening.
[This message has been edited by greg (edited 11 June 2001).]
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