RE: Porsche design boss quizzed
Discussion
T1berious said:
But surely Porsche must be doing something right?
Correct me if I'm wrong but per unit, aren't they one of the biggest profit making manufacturers out there?
I get that there isn't much of a variation on design theme through out the range but we don't slam Lotus nearly as hard when it's released another faster Elise derived unit? (No, I'm not knocking Lotus, I'm a big fan)
But Porsche seems to have all the bases covered and who'd buy a Porsche (be honest now) that didn't actually look like a Porsche?
The majority of Porsche owners are very unlikely to be exploring the performance envelope every chance they get. Hell, when I eventually get a 997 (C2S please!) it will be a dream come true and a bit of it is that the shape is iconic.
Even as lairy as Aventador is you can still see its Countach DNA? No?
Meh, Maybe I'm wrong
Park an Aventator next to a Countach and tell me they look similar. I can't see it.Correct me if I'm wrong but per unit, aren't they one of the biggest profit making manufacturers out there?
I get that there isn't much of a variation on design theme through out the range but we don't slam Lotus nearly as hard when it's released another faster Elise derived unit? (No, I'm not knocking Lotus, I'm a big fan)
But Porsche seems to have all the bases covered and who'd buy a Porsche (be honest now) that didn't actually look like a Porsche?
The majority of Porsche owners are very unlikely to be exploring the performance envelope every chance they get. Hell, when I eventually get a 997 (C2S please!) it will be a dream come true and a bit of it is that the shape is iconic.
Even as lairy as Aventador is you can still see its Countach DNA? No?
Meh, Maybe I'm wrong
And no wonder there profits are so high, they sell you a car but you need to add 20k of extra's to it lol.
8vFTW said:
Never seen the point in all the people that moan about all 911's looking the same. It's been refined over the years but still has that iconic 911 look. It's also true that the shape is dictated by the way the car is packaged. The problem the designer faces is that if it isn't totally original it's "boring", but when something new and different does come along, people slam it.
You're so right. They don't look the same. I know a range of enthusiast types who have (one each, these are all owned by different people) a 991, a 997 Turbo S, a 997 C4S Cabrio , a 996 Turbo Cabrio , a 993 Carrera Cabrio and a 3.2 Carrera Cabrio. They all look entirely different to each other, except insofar as they are obviously all from the same manufacturer. This endless criticism is most strange, as Porsche's strategy surely means 1) the cars evolve while keeping what was good about the previous one, and hence keep the customers, and 2) at any point the customer has choice. The GT3 and the Targa 4 are hardly aimed at exactly the same people, but both can have a 911 they like.I suspect what underpins the repeated comment "they all look the same" is that some people who like to think they know about cars don't understand the Porsche range and it is a get-out to avoid showing their lack of knowledge. Same goes for the Aston range. Virage (now-discontinued) aside, that range is pretty easy to comprehend too.
Edited by myhandle on Tuesday 27th November 12:44
Think of any product with a brand value and you will see a long term identity that doesn't change - coca-cola, apple, chanel, rolex, mont-blanc pens, Porsche, BMW with the rear window thing and kindey grills and Audi making every car look identical. If you create something of high quality that transcends short term trends and maintains a "style" that people want you defend the value of that offering over time. This is one reason why Ford, GM, Citroen etc have crashing residuals - because the new model looks nothing the old one, so no-one wants the old one. Personally, I find the Panamera design challenging but I can see why Porsche would want to follow it's family design language - it's one of the most valuable pieces of the offering.
fatboy b said:
What he meant to say was...
When it comes right down to it, he's right and you're wrong. He's producing cars for a very successful manufacturer and you're whingeing about it on a messageboard. He wins. You're not a Porsche customer (I think that's a fairly easy guess) so he doesn't have to keep you happy as there are enough customers both actual and aspirant to keep the money rolling in. The Porsche head of Design said:
Porsche are stuck in a design-rut, and have been for years. I've no idea how to get out of it, but in the meantime, they're paying me loads to keep the cars looking the same
I really don't get this boring "they all look the same" line that comes up every time anyone so much as mentions Stuttgart? You don't like the cars, we get it. Time for you to let it go?
Grovsie26 said:
Park an Aventator next to a Countach and tell me they look similar. I can't see it.
lol.
I meant the design DNA.... never mindlol.
The point I was trying (and failing) to get across is, you've got an iconic design, instantly recognisable that generates sales, why on earth would you deviate from the original form so far to lose that design DNA? I saw an Avenatdor in Hong Kong last week, stuck in traffic, I'm pretty sure the owner bought it
.Point being people like the idea of buying the latest flavour of something but also want it recognised as the latest Porsche (in ref to the thread).
IMHO
but hey, I could be wrong.Mmmmm, well i guess the guy wasnt going to say anything other than, there is a reason they are all similar, he was hardly going to confess to either not having an idea of a design beyond the 911 or yeah your right, our design team need a kick up the back side!!!
Interesting that he says they want all their cars to be instantly recognised as a Porsche without having to look at the badge, whilst you could argue there are a core buyer out there who follow this ethos as sales are obviously good etc so why change, as has been said elsewhere, i am also sure there are probably an equal amount of people who wont buy any of the range for that very reason, they dont want to the car to be instantly recognised as a Porsche.
Interesting that he says they want all their cars to be instantly recognised as a Porsche without having to look at the badge, whilst you could argue there are a core buyer out there who follow this ethos as sales are obviously good etc so why change, as has been said elsewhere, i am also sure there are probably an equal amount of people who wont buy any of the range for that very reason, they dont want to the car to be instantly recognised as a Porsche.
Rumblestripe said:
fatboy b said:
What he meant to say was...
When it comes right down to it, he's right and you're wrong. He's producing cars for a very successful manufacturer and you're whingeing about it on a messageboard. He wins. You're not a Porsche customer (I think that's a fairly easy guess) so he doesn't have to keep you happy as there are enough customers both actual and aspirant to keep the money rolling in. The Porsche head of Design said:
Porsche are stuck in a design-rut, and have been for years. I've no idea how to get out of it, but in the meantime, they're paying me loads to keep the cars looking the same
I really don't get this boring "they all look the same" line that comes up every time anyone so much as mentions Stuttgart? You don't like the cars, we get it. Time for you to let it go?
This interview got me to register, only it turned out I already was registered. Oops, cue justifiable lurker accusations...
I learned nothing of interest from this interview, which is a shame but understandable given Mr Mauer's position. Still, it is a pity after the fantastic one with the Delta Wing designer.
In the past I've found that you often get the best product information by talking either to the suppliers of the company in which you are interested or to more junior staff members who aren't trained to talk to the public. Next time you're in Stuttgart, grab one of the junior designers and take him to the pub!
Presumably Mauer would have given more information on ANYTHING but Porsche. Could you nip back and ask for his views on what happened to SAAB?
I loved the 9X:
I learned nothing of interest from this interview, which is a shame but understandable given Mr Mauer's position. Still, it is a pity after the fantastic one with the Delta Wing designer.
In the past I've found that you often get the best product information by talking either to the suppliers of the company in which you are interested or to more junior staff members who aren't trained to talk to the public. Next time you're in Stuttgart, grab one of the junior designers and take him to the pub!
Presumably Mauer would have given more information on ANYTHING but Porsche. Could you nip back and ask for his views on what happened to SAAB?
I loved the 9X:
Please can we have a new 904 that Porsche can take racing?
Offered with flat 4's, Flat 6's and V8's. The new Cayman is the sports car of the brand now the 911 has gone GT, they need a thoroughbred racer though.
And if you can offer it with a baby engine and no frills/lightweight it'd cover a lot of bases too.
Offered with flat 4's, Flat 6's and V8's. The new Cayman is the sports car of the brand now the 911 has gone GT, they need a thoroughbred racer though.
And if you can offer it with a baby engine and no frills/lightweight it'd cover a lot of bases too.
OlberJ said:
Please can we have a new 904 that Porsche can take racing?
Stylistically - 918 
Original Cayenne was a f
k up, he should've been questioned about that, (despite sales success, which was probably down to being one of, if not the first Sports SUVs, and the right badge)other than that, he has the answers in hand way before anyone asked him them.
History - Porsche have been founded in the mdoern era on slow evolution of carefully considered style, surfaces and detail...in fact German styling all over this way, the exception which proves the rule was BMW/Bangle....aesthetically this proved extremely risky with MASSIVe debate over whether they'd done the right thing...sales went up = success? maybe but you could argue they'd built their reputation and anything they did would be successful....BMW have certainly back tracked to a safer evolution since...
So Porsche, make the Cajun better than the Panamera, make that gorgeous Panamera concept and keep doing what you're doing....
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