Quote:
My main concern is that PDK is aimed at the Tip clients....
Why would you think that? If Porsche just wanted to keep Tip clients happy, they could've saved a quarter of billion Euros' development costs and just kept the Tip.
Porschephiles have been clamoring over the late-to-market PDK for a decade. It is clearly a faster (for track and spirited driving) gearbox. Most likely, the rumored reason for the delay in development was a keen desire for reliability and endurance. Ask any Ferrari 360/430 owner: Ferrari's F1 gearbox tears up $7,500 clutches at the rate of one every 5,000 miles. Plus, they cannot be back up a hill without billowing white, acrid clutch smoke.
The double-clutch was the way to go, Porsche wanted to make sure they did it right. And not bankrupt the company with warranty claims or bad PR for clutch failures.
I predict that beginning with the 2010 model year, at least 50%, probably more, will be ordered with PDK. Certainly once the initial demand is satisifed and dealers start ordering cars for on-hand inventory, most of those will be PDK.
Does anyone know if Porsche is building the gearbox/clutch themselves or if they are sourcing it from a supplier (and if so, if that firm has any involvement in the Audi and/or BMW double-clutch gearboxes)?