where are Porsche heading?

[dragstar]

i apologize if this has been asked before, but i wanted to gather opinion as to the direction of Porsche.

I was/am a little too young to truely appreciate the 993 in "its day" although think it's a a fabulous, fabulous machine... probably porsche at its best.

However the 996s do it for me the styling and current variants are to my liking. To me the GT3 and TT are "perfect".

Question is this...will Porsche remain to this type of styling in 5-6 years, with the focus on bullet proof engineering and insane performance?

Or will developments like the Cayanne/new boxster/new smaller version boxster cause a change of policy/ethics/direction?

we cant be sure but i hope not. I just wish i could finish my degree and start earning

Drag*...future GT3 owner

[domster]

For general Porsche direction and the problems they face, see this article roygarth pointed out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3307833.stm

As for the future of Porsche sports cars themselves, I think design will follow an evolutionary curve, and that they will not change radically - even the 996 isn't that radical (styling wise) from the 993 when you look at them with a squint!

However, my guess is that they will try and inject a little 'heritage' into designs, such as round headlamps on 911s, just to kep the 993 and earlier purists happy.

I do worry about the question of 'bullet-proof engineering' though. The 996/Boxster arguably don't have the integrity of some earlier Porsches, and accountants even started to cut costs on the 993. No longer is a Porsche built by engineers then a price arrived at.

As the article above shows, Porsche are a profit making company, which means they'll have an eye on costs. I hope that cheaper models and even evolutionary ones don't lose out on the traditional cast-iron Porsche build.

Insane performance, especially regarding the Turbos and GT badged cars, you can take for granted tho'

[toppstuff]

I think the future looks fine, providing the economy holds up.

While harder-core version of the 996 are well received (GT3) there is a view that the standard 996 is a little too "normal" compared to the 993. And as a 996 owner I can understand this.

The 997 will seek to recover some of the rawness of the 993, while also being a refined evolution of the 996.

I think the 997 will be fantastic.

I am a little worried about talk of V8's rather than Six's for the 911 after the 997, but that is a way away yet.

Go save for that GT3 and enjoy ! There is much to look forward too IMO.

[dragstar]

Thanks for your opinions guys, and for the link.

I really hope the 997 recovers some "rawness" as im quite fond of such cars (hence S1 rather than S2 elise). im glad the "egg-lights" have/are gone

I suppose i could always go for a 993TT if the new variations dont do it for me! im just a tart for all things new

talk of a V8 isnt good though

[james_j]

The 997 is looking good (saw a picture in Feb '04 "CAR" magazine), but obviously it will be interesting to see driving impressions.

V8 sounds worrying - stick to flat six!

I feel that the Cayenne's sales success is mainly because of the Porsche badge, which itself was earned from the reputation of earlier models. If the brand is diluted too much, then the hertiage fades into the ever more distant past and in turn the chance of further good sales based on the badge.

Other manufacturers are also watering down their image, I guess to improve cask flow; look at Mercedes and BMW with MPVs, "budget" starter cars and so on.