Quote:
zzboba said:
i'm not too sure about the long-term success of the cayenne either. "sold" in PAG controlling lingo maybe means "sold to the dealer lot", not sold to the customer.
The long term success depends solely on Porsche's ability to differentiate the Cayenne much more from the Touareg.
The quality issues in the first year and the second half of second year of production were not development issues but supplier issues. I think Porsche has their traditional suppliers for the 911/Boxster pretty good under control and the fact that Porsche has chosen Aisin for the new 997 gearbox shows that they really care about supplier quality. To my knowledge, the Cayenne 6-speed Tiptronic made by Aisin proved to be bullet-proof and Porsche seems very satisfied with quality.
No wonder, Aisin is specialized on heavy-duty stuff.
Regarding production numbers: Porsche doesn't raise production by more than 100% if they don't have a market for these cars.
My dealer for example seems to sell mainly V6 and this might be an indication that a lot of people are buying the "badge" only (like Nick said) but who cares? Selling more Cayenne results in lower production cost = increasing profits.
I'm just a little bit worried about what Wiedeking said regarding lowering production cost. I know that some suppliers (not neccesarily Porsche suppliers) are fighting with their survival and it sounds impossible to me to lower production cost (through lower supplier prices maybe?) without the risk of a lower quality level.
And furthermore: Porsche hired a lot of new employees, this is always a sign for high demand.
Regarding the US and the showroom cars: people in the US love to walk inside a showroom and drive out in their new car.
Waiting 6 months for a "truck" isn't always fun.
So I guess we'll see it more and more happen that dealers put a few cars in their stock, especially large dealers in the US but also large dealers in other places like Germany.
I also think that Porsche customers are willing to pay a price for Porsche cars if the quality is right. However I have to admit that paying over 8000 Dollar or more than 7500 Euro for the PCCB on the new 997 is a little bit...exaggerated.
The PCCB brake might sell well if the price drops below the "magic" 5000 but at the current price level, I don't know if I'd order it. The new generation really seems to be much better regarding durability, braking distance and brake fell but this has to be proven yet to me in a real road test.
Same applies to the upcoming E81 (Cayenne Turbo Powerkit). The estimated list price is around 15000 Euro (incl. german tax) on a new car, this is shocking! I don't know how Porsche justifies this price tag but as soon as the E81 hits the roads, I'll try to find out if the technical difference is worth it.
Look at X50 (996 Turbo Powerkit): same gearbox but 6th gear modified (actually no cost increase, both gearboxes cost the same in the parts catalogue), larger turbo chargers (I don't have a price tag but maybe a 15-20% price increase), larger intercoolers (they were actually cheaper than the Turbo intercoolers at the time I retrofitted them on my former 996 Turbo), the different exhaust system (which actually had a similar price tag in the parts catalogue) and of course the modified motronic with a different software.
Overall, additional hardware cost for Porsche should be in the 1000 Euro range, at max. How much does X50 cost?
OK, there is cost for certifying, etc. but does it really justify the X50 price tag? I doubt it.
So yes, there is enough room for improvements regarding option prices and sometimes maybe even regarding quality.
But overall I think that Porsche does a pretty good job lately.
BTW: you own a GT3RS, did you have any problems with your car or any complaints? If so, please report.
RC I have to give you credit; you will back Porsche to the cows come home. My Cayenne is in so often that my dealer is giving me a time card to punch in just like the rest of the employee's. 
