Misha011:
Very bad RC ... very bad . BTW it will be more Panameras in Germany than Turkey and Ex - Jugoslavia , combined . How will you analyze that ??
I shall not tackle ' here I come' cars as a proof of bad taste / cultural inferiority - that's your homework
It is a FACT that for example Gemballa and Techart sell more cars outside Germany. It is a FACT that "here I come" cars have more success outside Germany. This has nothing to do with bad taste or cultural inferiority (what the heck, we wouldn't run an international car forum if we would think we're "superior"??? 
) but with the fact that in Germany, you just can't "afford" to drive a shiny "here I come" car if you don't want to loose customers or even friends. We have a very touchy society over here and even if some people don't seem to realize it, it is a fact. Before having kids, me and my wife couldn't care less about what people were thinking about our lifestyle but when the kids come home and tell you that their class mates tell them that they're rich and that daddy and mommy are "exploiting the poor", you soon realize what is going on at the homes of these class mates. Especially since the financial crisis, things got worse. We have "rich" friends too but most of the people we know, due to the kids, are middle class people or even below that. You just can't imagine what "feedback" we get and trust me, me and my wife are very friendly and open hearted people since we both aren't Germans by origin and we really embrace international culture. Most german families we know, another fact (sorry Rossi), are very narrow minded and limited to their own culture and background. My girl is the third best pupil in her class (class of 26) and a couple of mothers asked her class teacher how it is possible that she is THAT good in German because her mother speaks with an accent. 
The class teacher was very surprised too, this is why she told us.
Bottom line is: Germans are very friendly people, especially if they "warm up" towards you but some of them, especially younger (25-40) families, are very narrow minded and living in their own traditional way which was very surprising for us to learn when we got the kids. I speak German without an accent and have a german name but people are still referring to us as "foreigners" because of my wife and the multi-cultural background. It is difficult to explain.
Cars are and were always some sort of status symbol over here, even if people remove the model badges from their cars for various reasons. Driving a Porsche, especially a Cayenne, is like a red flag, a stigma. Our town is small and there are a lot of ordinary workers living and working here, things are completely different in Munich for example. Some of our wealthy friends are sending their kids to an international school over here, a school which teaches in English. We didn't want to do this, we wanted our kids to go to normal school, to get used to "normal" life and not a private school. Maybe we were wrong because the advantage of the international school would have been different friends and families who don't have "money" as their primary discussion point.
Every country and culture has positive and negative sides, no doubt about it. Unfortunately Germany is one of the countries where the visible wealth of people can cause a lot of envy and negative vibes. My customers gossip each and every day about "bankers" and "managers" and how "evil" they are. All they gossip about is how much people earn and how much money they have.
It really depends on where you live in Germany and if you have kids or not. I've never realized how envious people are before having kids. Apparently a lot of people with kids have to cut back on their expenses/lifestyle and they start blaming people like us for it. It may be the same in other countries too but since I live in Germany, I can talk about Germany only.
As a last point (sorry for the off-topic stuff I posted):
during the Porsche 100 years celebration at my dealership, I met a lot of people over there, mostly doctors I know personally but also other people who could afford buying a Panamera. Most of them liked the Panamera a lot but not a single person I met was seriously considering buying one. The main reason was: it is too big and too "here I come" but the high price tag was another reason too. I also heard two comments that the Panamera is no real Porsche but this is crap and I never paid attention to such claims. Most people, like I said, liked the Panamera but apparently Porsche didn't create the Panamera for the local market but more for Asia and the US like the regional manager confirmed to me.
Take the new BMW 5 series, the size is perfect for a sedan, not too big but not too small either. This car will be a huge success over here, the 550i with a 407 HP bi-turbo engine costs around 70000 EUR over here, with some nice options around 80000 EUR. Then, take 10% rebate off the sticker price and you get a decent and sporty sedan for 72000 EUR. Now take the Panamera S in comparison, base price is 94500 EUR over here. Add the same options to the Panamera and you get a price tag of around 110000 EUR. Now take away lets say 5% rebate off the sticker (German Porsche dealers usually give a maximum of 3-6% rebate on the Panamera, depending on the model and if you buy one they have on stock or not) and you have a final price tag of around 104500 EUR. This is 32500(!) EUR more than for the BMW 550i. For this kind of money, you could get a used Boxster for your wife.
Sorry but as much as I love the Porsche brand and even the Panamera, the price tag and the size of this car are deal breakers for me. Not only for me but for many other people over here in Germany too.
Take the 911 Sport Classic as a last example for Porsche's crazy price tag policy.
Then, take the Ferrari 458 Italia as a comparison. Even I as a passionate Porsche hardcore lover would prefer the 458 Italia over the 911 Sport Classic, not only because of the price tag but also because of the performance and fun both cars would deliver.
If Porsche wants to survive, they need to come back to their senses and I really hope that VW will take care of that. Porsche can't be an exclusive manufacturer building 100000 cars a year. Even at the current 75000 units, there is no exclusivity in my opinion. Asking a lot of money for their cars isn't justified and if Porsche prices start to exceed Ferrari prices, something is going wrong.
The Panamera also looks bigger than a Bentley, I really don't think that Porsche should have gone this way. It should have rather been the sportiest sedan on the market but even if the Panamera is fast on the Nordschleife, I bet that there soon will be a faster sedan on the market. The Panamera is just too huge and too heavy for this purpose and even if some drivers claim it delivers the same drive feel as the 997, I can assure you that it doesn't. My 997 Turbo has the original chassis/suspension and it feels much sportier than the Panamera Turbo. Take the 997 Carrera S with sport chassis or the GT3 and the drive feel is even sportier compared to the 997 Turbo.
Bottom line is: the Panamera is a great sedan, no doubt about it but it is not even close to the 911. The Panamera Turbo felt to me like a lowered Cayenne Turbo S but I guess my opinion in this matter is not very popular.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor 997 Turbo, Cayenne Turbo S, BMW M3 Cab DKG, Mini Cooper S JCW
Obviously, this is pure speculation.
Maybe it's the same guy
Well...this is another way to look at it. 
