acky:

I think the main reason why we will not see a 960 is to protect the nimbus of the 911.
The 918 didn't hurt, too far away, but a permanent model above the 911 this will hurt the 911 (the cash cow of Porsche) on the long run.

So they decide to sell this kind of cars under another brand. For the whole group it doesn't matter if Audi/Lambo or Porsche sell this kind of car.

Look at the new 718 Boxster/Cayman they sacrifice this model to protect the 911.
The 718 sell very bad for a new model. Almost all german dealers now exchange 718 quotes to 911 quotes. The 991.2 sell better than ever.

The gain margin for the 911 is much better than for the Cayman and of course the 911 represents Porsche and the heritage, it is a "classic" Porsche, even if the latest generation has nothing to do with the first 911. For Porsche, it is a no-brainer to support and protect the 911.

However, I do not think that a 960 would hurt 911 sales too much. Maybe 911 Turbo S sales, maybe 911 GT3/RS sales, maybe but not 911 Carrera sales (the majority of 911 models). Keep in mind that a 960 would have very limited luggage room, only two seats, it would also be much flashier than a 911 and cost would (very likely) be also higher because Porsche couldn't and wouldn't place the 960 in the under 200k EUR price segment.

Most importantly: The 911 Carrera is one of the most used business cars in it's class in Germany and this would be impossible with a 960. 

Like Whoopsy said before (I assume he got his information from a Porsche employee, same as me...): The 960 cannot come because of the current R8. If someone has the chance to drive the new R8 V10 Plus, just do it and you'll understand why. Especially since Porsche couldn't use the V10 engine and would very likely need to use a bi-turbo charged V8 instead. Once the R8 is gone or gets a different engine, the 960 will be much more likely. Sad but true.

There is a reason I chose the new R8 V10 Plus, it wasn't exactly my first choice (I wanted a used first generation model as a weekend toy only) but after the first test-drive, I was madly in love with this car. Whoopsy, with his many different amazing cars and of course the fantastic 918, might now understand this but from my point of view, the new R8 is exactly what I always expected (and hoped for) from Porsche. Smiley


--

 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Audi R8 V10 Plus (2017), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)