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mcdelaug said:
I must say that Porsche really should let the sports car advocates become more accepting of the idea of the Cayenne before they introduce a product that appears to move further away from the company's sports car roots. This isn't to say that the Cayenne is not a very capable vehicle - from RC's posts alone it most clearly is. But the Cayenne was an intentional step towards a more diverse product line for Porsche as a company, and every additional such step creates some anxiety for Porsche's core sports car clientele. Whether such anxiety is truly justified is debatable in my opinion. Opinions anyone?
I agree, the Cayenne has been introduced too fast and Porsche also made a first marketing mistake by making people believe the Cayenne is a SUV sportscar and not a sporty SUV.
They changed their strategy later on but I still can't hide the feeling that nobody really likes the Cayenne as a product but more of a cash source to earn money.
I know that Porsche is proud of the Cayenne and they should be because it is a fine SUV with true Porsche roots, especially regarding driving dynamics. But maybe Porsche tried too hard to establish the Cayenne as a "true" Porsche and not just another product in the Porsche model line, besides the sports cars.
And the fact that VW is involved in Cayenne development and production doesn't help either. True Porsche hardliners, although they know the traditional connection between VW and Porsche, seem to feel very annoyed about this collaboration. And if I see that the new 997 gets a japanese Aisin gearbox, I start to wonder myself: is Porsche really trying to improve products and increase quality or is it only about cost, customer market acceptance (at least on a short run to sell as many units as possible) and of course share holder value.
I know that the Cayenne seems to sell well and it sold well but personally, I can't predict the future of the Cayenne.
Do Porsche customers accept the Cayenne as the 3rd TRUE Porsche model or is the Cayenne just an intermezzo until the 4-door sport limousine shows up?
Honestly, I don't know. I bought the Cayenne because of performance and the good quality impression but not necessarily because of good looks, even if I have to admit that it is growing on me. And what is also sad: when people on the street/fuel station/parking lot see a 911, they start saying how beautiful or how fast it is. When they see my Cayenne Turbo, they are impressed that this truck costs more than 100000 Euro. Period.
I think Porsche has to do something about the Cayenne's reputation and they have to do it fast. It deserves a chance because of it's qualities but I'm afraid that as soon as the new ML shows up, people who bought the Cayenne because of the sporty setup and the strong engines might reconsider their decision. Of course the Cayenne is a Porsche and some people bought it because of the brand name only. But traditional Porsche buyers always bought a Porsche sports car and a Mercedes/BMW/Audi limousine or SUV. I don't think this will change if Porsche doesn't start to REALLY "explain" the Cayenne and it's existance to the public and especially to customers.
I have a friend in my town who owns a GT3 MK2 and a 964 RS for racing. We didn't see each other for a very long time and we recently met at my Porsche dealer where he picked up something for his 964 RS. When he saw me in the Cayenne Turbo, he started to make fun of me. He has two kids too and I told him that this is the perfect family car for a Porsche addict like me. He told me that he would never buy a Cayenne, god beware and nobody would even EVER make him drive one. He was so convinced of what he said, I was pretty disappointed because I expected something else.
So it seems that a lot of Porsche sports car owners don't really want or like the Cayenne, some might even see a "threat" in it that Porsche might switch from sports cars to SUVs and limousines if they become more profitable.
I don't know, Porsche surely has to do something about the Cayenne's reputation, maybe offering all Porsche sports car owners a testdrive and more information what the Cayenne is supposed to be and that the Cayenne is no "threat" whatsover to the true Porsche sports cars, on the contrary.
A Cayenne pickup surely would stirr up emotions even more among Porsche hardliners, so I'm not sure it would be a good idea. I fancy the idea of a 7-seater with more luggage room but I don't start to see the market for a lightweight, 2-door, "simplistic" AWD, Cayenne anymore. The Cayenne has to be taken as the product as it is: a modern, very sporty SUV with some Porsche genes and a pretty impressive technology. A true Porsche but not a true Porsche sportscar.
If people start to accept that, including Cayenne owners and Porsche hardliners, the Cayenne might be a huge success and even survive the 1st generation.