Quote:
Matt C said:
699 Cayman seems to be quite a figure in the context of some of the posts made during the last weeks.
Porsche's marketing-coup seems to work (at least in North America), though not at a "best case level":
Best case: no cannibalization at all (gain all Cayman customers from other brands / former M3 owners etc.)
Worst case: 100% cannibalization towards 997
The most recent figures (which seem to be in line with the trend shown in the Jan-March figures) support the assumption that neither the best case scenario nor the worst case scenario will materialize: in fact 997 sales seem to be not affected by the Cayman S launch, whereas Boxster sales seem to suffer severely: if I got it right, Boxster sales are down from 1,022 units (Apr '05) to 589 units (Apr '06) representing a recession of 42.4%
The interesting question is whether the Boxster cannibalization happens due to the audience's sheer lust for more hp/displacement or due to the preference for a coupé
The correct answer to that question will be crucial to the future Boxster marketing: if the coupé thing is the crucial factor, then the rumored engine upgrade for the Boxster won't help too much to revitalize the Boxster sales. PAG might be at least "half-happy" though as they sell more 987 units (cab+coupé) with the current line up (compared to the cab only line up) and gain better margins (from the coupé).
If the HP thing is the crucial factor, an engine upgrade for the Boxster might help Boxster sales but would negatively affect Cayman sales - not a good idea as long as the price tag of the coupé (and therefore PAG-margins) is higher compared to the cab.
To me the figures seem to prove that the audience understands Boxster and Cayman as one single platform for two variants: cab and coupé (like 997 cab and coupé is understood as one platform). There is nothing wrong about that, the only strange thing is that 997 buyers accept a price premium for the cab, whereas 987 buyers accept a premium for the coupé. I for one do not believe, that the 15 hp difference + variocam plus technology is the crucial factor in favour of the Cayman, nor do I believe that the majority of Cayman buyers are track guys exploiting the advantages of the higher structural rigidity of the car - I think it's just the image of driving a small version of the "icon" (911) - visual appearance of the Cayman is closer to 997 coupé than Boxster to 997 cab IMO. This image is further supported by a lot of carmags' reviews seeing the Cayman as a 997 challenger, whereas the cab model Boxster still might suffer from the old "poor man's Porsche" or "housewife image".
Porsche seems to know very well, that the majority of sportscar buyers are prepared to spend a lot of money for the image factor (I don't believe that most of P-buyers can tell you the difference in 0-100 times, max. speed or Ring-times if you ask them about Boxster vs. Cayman - most of the German buyers might think of the famous and prestigious Bayreuth Wagner-festival if they hear "The Ring" rather than thinking of the "Green Hell" race track
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