No VW Bluesport, according to VW head of R&D

[ekam]

Volkswagen's Bluesport Roadster May Be Doomed: Report

[vitaminC]

I can understand that car not fitting into the VW scheme, however it seems that Porsche could really benefit from a sub-Boxster level car so I hope it's not completely dead.

[MileHighBoxster]

Volkswagon's attempt at breaking through into high-dollar cars in the past few years hasn't been completely successful. Doing a small convertible sports car (a la the Ghia) would probably do well at 20,000-30,000 but a $50,000 plus car wouldn't be in the Volkswagon scheme to me.

My dealer did tell me about a new Cayman he saw in California (or somewhere recently) that he said was incredible.

[Ghostrider 310]

Haven't they done enough? You can't even get a Boxster but I'll bet you can order a Cayenne! The sub boxster would only be cannibalization of the Porsche mark which has enough sub level competition.

[thstone]

A sub-level Boxster would do nothing but dilute the Porsche brand. The powers in Stuttgart can still remember the 924. Been there, done that, never do it again.

[ekam]

Remember the new Boxster (981) is huge compare to the original 986. That and Porsche needs to double its annual sales figure in the next 5 years means they're going to have to create more models to increase its market share.

They did it with the 986, the Cayenne, then the Panamera, the upcoming Cajun... next one will be baby boxster no doubt.

Porsche simply cannot survive with just making 911.

While Porsche is the most enthusiastic car maker out there today, their business have share holders like any other corporations and one of their many objectives is to make profit.

[MileHighBoxster]

Porsche was always a 50,000 unit car maker. Then came the Boxster and Cayanne. Why would they now need to again double their output?

[coreseller]

What Ekam said; Porsche simply cannot survive making the 911,



Not to mention future CAFE standards, gonna need something smaller to offset those Cayennes. Interesting take on Porsche by Edmunds:

As Larger Models Take Over, Porsche's Not Worried - AutoObserver

[MileHighBoxster]

The Boxster/Cayman should be (in my opinion) one platform in coupe and roadster form. I know they really are but they have different development operations. It's time to drop the Cayenne (as VW did the Touareg) and they can bring in the Cajun (like VW did with the Tiguan). Then focus on the (only in my head) two main platforms - 911 and Boxster.

I'm not sure how CAFE futures relate. Ferrari and other exotics aren't bringing in lower-end higher mileage editions. If your pie-chart is correct, it is obvious that Porsche can make more money by selling more vehicles that have little resemblance to their original idea. That, my friend, is unfortunate.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by MileHighBoxster

If your pie-chart is correct, it is obvious that Porsche can make more money by selling more vehicles that have little resemblance to their original idea. That, my friend, is unfortunate.

Unfortunate but necessary, for the survival of Porsche. After all, the Boxster saved Porsche in the late 90's also, the 911 faithful purists cried foul then also, just like they did with the 928, 924, 914..........................

Something we learned awhile back at our manufacturing facilities; Volume (as long as margins are maintained) hides a multitude of sins.

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by coreseller

Something we learned awhile back at our manufacturing facilities; Volume (as long as margins are maintained) hides a multitude of sins.

saw the sales numbers today - worldwide porsche sales were up 22% to a nearly 119k vehicles - mostly to china which saw a 65% jump. us sales were up 14% and germany sales up 13%.

cayenne was the most "in demand" accounting for nearly 60k vehicles.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by MileHighBoxster

Ferrari and other exotics aren't bringing in lower-end higher mileage editions.

I guess you don't read car news much... Aston Martin Cygnet (based on Toyota iQ.)

[coreseller]

Interesting figure I caught while watching "Ultimate Factories" featuring Porsche. If I remember right, they produce ~110 911's per day and 20 Boxsters at the Stuttgart facility. The segment highlighting the engine production section said they produce 500 engines a day. Surprising numbers to me.

[ekam]

All the auto manufacturers are focusing on China right now... before it was Russians and their love with SUVs.

Chinese people never dream of sports cars, the riches buy Rolls Royces and hire chauffeurs.

Rolls Royce sales soar in China despite recession

That's the real reason why you see new category of 4-seater exotics like the Ferrari FF, Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide.

[thstone]

"Porsche simply cannot survive making the 911"

Let's not drink the 'bigger is the only way" kool-aid too quickly. Porsche could definitely survive and prosper on sports cars alone. Certainly they would not be as big or as profitable as they are now, but they definitely would have survived.

[ekam]

China China China

Stretched Porsche Panamera for China by RUF | CarNewsChina.com - China Auto News

[LyraG]

According to some reports, Volkswagen's plans to build a two-seater, turbodiesel sports car have been declared and retracted so many times fans are dizzy. It seems that those plans might finally be abandoned altogether. The car, which first appeared at the Detroit auto show in 2009, does not project the kind of sales the business feels it needs to be able to warrant manufacturing.

Check this out: VW Blue Sport roadster plans could be shelved

>> Why don't they open a website and ask the public if they’d be interested or not. I bet you that figure would easily hit more than a million.