Re: Canceled Panamera Turbo order
Crash:What's even more sad is the fact that roughly one in seven people in Germany are dependent on their car industry (and especially the expensive, profitable models that this same industry produces) for their income. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
Most people over here get it, this is why they voted for a conservative government.
Unfortunately this doesn't help at all supporting SUVs. They just hate them, period.
Interesting is the fact that there are many SMALL SUVs driving around, the BMW X3 is a bestseller and so are other SUVs from Honda, Toyota, etc. As long as they're small, things seem to be OK, even the X5 is accepted on a certain level.
When it comes to the Audi Q7 or even the Cayenne though, things are looking completely different. This is why the new Audi Q5 is so successful too.
I think the X5 actually profits from its non-attractive (it looks kind of "old school") look, it isn't really an eye-catcher, this is why BMW came up with the X6. For ME, this is a huge advantage because I can finally drive a 555 HP monster SUV without having to fear any stupid comments or even danger for my family.
Porsche needs to address the public perception of the Cayenne and they may do that with all those rumors that the new Cayenne has been downsized, is environmentally "greener", etc. etc. etc. In the end, this new (possible) perception can only be carried on if this would be true. Since it actually isn't, I think Porsche needs to HEAVILY advertise their new "green" models (like Diesel, Hybrid) and SHUT UP regarding the V8 and especially the high power Turbo/Turbo S models. They also need to put some pressure on the press to avoid "publicity stunts" in the future, like a german car magazine did with the Cayenne Turbo ("dirtiest SUV on the planet"). It makes a huge difference if a car magazine reports about such a SUV in a journalistic appropriate way or if they fill this report with sarcasm, jokes and exaggerations.
A 10 year old VW Golf is dirtier than a modern Cayenne Turbo but I haven't seen anybody keying a 10 year old VW Golf.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor 997 Turbo, BMW X5 M (03/2010), BMW M3 Cab DKG, Mini Cooper S JCW