Re: OFFICIAL : Porsche Boxster 981
bluelines:
Lukas:
Can someone explain to me why the EXACT same option on 981 that also exist on 991 is about 10-20% cheaper for the boxster? For instance if you want to have the 20" carrera s wheels painted in black on the 991 it will cost you about 1400 EUR for the 991 but only 1100 EUR for the boxster. I understand that PSE and other options are cheaper on the boxster than for 911 since it's not the same parts, but painting the wheels should really be no difference since they are exactly the same
Yes, it is called a premium.
Does anyone here actually think that the 991 is more expensive to build than the 981? Or that the parts are more expensive?
No, clearly not. You are paying a premium for a car to fit into a certain market segment. The same applies for all Porsche models (and other manufacturers too obviously). For example, Porsche gets away which asking a higher premium for the Cayman than the Boxster, which is probably the only coupe on the market that is more expensive than it's cabriolet counterpart. Why? Because it has it's own brand (Cayman rather then Boxster Coupe) and 5 measly HP more. It has been engineered, more from a marketing-side than technical-side, to fit a higher segment. It for sure does not cost more to build than the Boxster, I would rather guess the opposite given there is no soft top mechanism.
Most parts are developed and manufactured to fit multiple models and are hence the same across multiple models. Even the engine block is the same. I made some upgrades to my current 987 interior and all original plastic parts were stamped 997 on the back. Go figure.
You could also call it symbiosis.
The Boxster is Porsche's entry level model and loss-leader, which does not in itself earn much profit. But due to many common parts with the 911 a lot of money can be saved on design, development and tooling, making the 911 more profitable than it would be as a standalone model.
Without the Boxster the 911 would not be as profitable, without the 911 the Boxster could not exist at all, because it would not be economically viable. Porsche learnt a lesson when it nearly went bust from building the old 911s and the 944/968 series in such small numbers with virtually no common parts.
--
fritz