Quote:
mcdelaug said:
RC,
Hey I'm not trying to be irritating, but Porsche likely feels that they don't NEED to win the support of the type of customers that post in this forum. Most anyone that spends their free time on this forum is already a confirmed Porsche fanatic. Porsche can be fairly confident that you will at least test drive one of their products the next time you buy a car (or SUV). It's exactly the people that you mention in your post that represent the largest marketing challenge and the largest untapped, potential profit base for Porsche as a company. Can't understand the difference between a pepper and a native American? No worries as long as your credit's good and your neighbors think the "Cheyenne" is a "cool truck." I have to imagine that at some level the philosophy driving Porsche's marketing is "The hard core Porsche fans are buying our products anyway, it's the poseurs we really need to get our hands on."
RC, I'm sorry Porsche is not treating you better, but you must realize that your forum supports their confirmed, enthusiast customers. If anything, forums like rennteam.com may potentially make the audience Porsche's marketing is targeted toward more likely to ask difficult questions and think about issues that Porsche would rather they ignore (stuff that we periodically complain about - high prices of options, inadequate hp increases, RMS failures, whatever).
If it's any consolation to you this problem is not specific to you as a person or to Porsche as a company. I suspect there is a sizable group of employees at Porsche who remember what the values of the firm were 20 years ago, and are uncomfortable with the current management's different goals. My friends who work at international firms in other industries feel these same conflicts between their personal ideology regarding the company and the ideology the company projects via its marketing.
The work you and the moderators do is a tremendous benefit to those of us that spend our time reading this board, and I hope that at least some of us thank you periodically for making this something we all enjoy doing. But I hope that you don't expect too much from Porsche as a company for your efforts at rennteam, because in the short term you make their job more difficult. Of course, in the long term, you make them a healthier company that can more completely dominate their niche in the auto market, but they will attribute that to their OWN hard work at Porsche, not you, the moderators or the posters.
Anyway, this is one of my very facvorite places on the net, and I am very glad you spend so much effort on it. I hope you continue to do it for many years.
mcdelaug
Mcdelaug,
First of all, on behalf of RC (he's currently on vacation) thank you very much for the kind words, but for my part, it's RC who does all the hard work, I'm just toddling along!
This is very interesting subject you've pickep up on there.
Actually, I've discussed the issue thouroughly with my friends Ron and Carlos and we agreed that, we (Rennteam and other Porsche forum members) represents maybe what, 1, possible 2% of Porsche clientele, in other words, a drop in the ocean.
The way I see this is I don't expect any feedback from Porsche, as RC says, they might monitor this forum, maybe, but I don't think it has any impact anyway.
I use this forum for myself, because I love Porsche and sports cars in general, anyone hoping that Porsche will answer our wishes is mistaken I think.
For what it's worth, Porsche product line up is already frozen for the next 8 years anyway. They probably know right what the power of the 911 Gen 998 will be (plus or minus 5% IMHO).
All this to say that I admire your post and agree with it 110%.
One has to remember that this is 2005, the time of small INDEPENDANT handmade car companies is over (except in the UK, thank you Britain!) but if you look at the big picture, and if you want to stay profitable, you have to move on to mass market and that means, SUV, four doors sedan, etc etc etc.
If Porsche develops the Cayman, it's because they can, and it doesn't matter if we don't like it, because the boys have done their homework, and it will sell.
I too like you, am dubious as to who will buy this car but ultimately, I let Porsche surprise me (again! and again! and again!)
The bottom line is Porsche's goal is NOT is to build great sports cars anymore, it is TO MAXIMISE SHAREHOLDER VALUES and NOTHING else.
Sad for most of us on this forum, but true. I personally don't mind, because the end justifies the means. Keep the great cars coming on!
Fanch.