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Originally Posted by mjw930
Did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? Jim, you need to chill.
BTW, the Boxster is the car that saved Porsche. It's the car that allowed them to build the Cayenne which, along with the Panamerica will take Porsche into the next decade and beyond. They are the vehicles that will allow Porsche to continue to build cars like the Boxster, 911 and now the Cayman.
To expect Porsche to stay the same is wishful thinking, they have to change to grow and they have to grow to survive.
Oh, and if you don't think that Porsche's race engineers had anything to do with the design of the Cayenne your sadly mistaken. A Racing heritage is why Porsche's SUV is the fastest and one of the most capable SUV's on the planet.
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Hi,
Not at all the wrong side of the Bed, in fact it was a great day for me. Received a nice check today from my Partners in a Business Venture I have been involved in. I decided to go silent a year ago and just sold my equity for a tidy sum, more than double my expectation.
But, on point, one of Keith Duckworth's (the
Worth in
Cosworth) favorite sayings was that " It's better to be
uninformed than
misinformed..." and in this case it applies to you.
True the Boxster pre-dates the Cayenne, but you're confusing this with cause & effect. The Boxster did not allow Porsche to build the Cayenne, far from it. The Boxster is a niche Market Car and has only sold 137,041 units worldwide through 2004 - 8 years of production (the latest year figures are available) while in two years, the Cayenne sold 66,074 units and is currently outselling the Boxster by slightly more than 3-to-1. (Source Porsche A.G. 2004 Annual Report).
Based on Porsche's own reporting, they operated at an avg. 16% margin since the Boxster introduction and prior to Cayenne Production. This yielded an annual profit boost to Porsche of about $120M hardly the stuff of Major Car Companies. Boxster Sales peaked in 2000 with sales of 27,865 units and have been falling off each year since with 2003 Unit Sales of 12,988 (Porsche does not distinguish between Base and 'S' Models). In 2003, Porsche sold 39,913 Cayennes (vs 12,988 Boxsters) and since Cayenne introduction, Porsche's margin has increased to 19%.
The fact is that most of Porsches revenues during that time came about through Worldwide Currency fluctuations, their Finance Arm, and 911 Sales. But it is the strong sales of the Cayenne and the resulting reduction in cost of goods sold which has boosted it's financial health, not the Boxster.
But, there may be trouble brewing. A probe has begun about possible collusion between Porsche (and major shareholders) and the Government of Lower Saxony with regard to their recent VW acquisitions. If founded, this will likely have a strong negative effect to their Balance Sheet.
So far as it being the Fastest SUV on the Planet, who cares? As has been mentioned in another thread, you can make anything go fast if you put a big enough motor in it. And, for anything other than a straight line on the Freeway, it's unusable power. Sure, some Pro may be able to mangle it around the N-Ring at speed, but not your avg. Soccer Mom or Dad.
Carmella Soprano drives one for Heaven's sake - 'nuff said.
World's Shortest List:
#9 Muslims I have met in Bars, #10 Porsche Cayennes with actual Mud on them... Poser - King of the Posers maybe, but Poser nonetheless...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99