If Porsche sold the car under the price bracket of the Boxster they would risk devaluing the brand by massively increasing sales. They would be competing head on with cars like the Audi TT at sales levels that would be described as high volume in these niche markets. Porsche enthusiasts who buy 997's would complain bitterly that Porsche had lost the plot completely and sold out for market share leaving sales of the core model decimated.

I think Porsche's marketing strategy has been extremely shrewd. They gambled heavily with the Cayenne but the brand was strong enough to take a move into SUV territory. Just look at the pricing of the Cayenne range. Does a Turbo really cost twice as much to manufacture as a V6? Of course it doesn't. If viewed disapassionately the turbo is grossly overpriced but if viewed in performance terms it is something of a bargain.

By pricing the Cayman as they have, Porsche are giving dealers much needed additional volume to allow them to trade profitably but are not risking ruining the brand in the process by hugely increasing volumes. Herr Wiedeking has won a lot of cross industry awards in recognition of his achievements at Porsche which suggest that a lot of people recognise his great achievement in strengthening this company. Regardless of what he does he'll always be damned by some - those who think the entry models are too expensive and the enthusiasts who think the model range is too diversified and too "soft". You can't please all of the folks all of the time after all.