Another

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpps/news/porsche-considers-moving-manufacturing-to-us-asia-dpgonc-km-20110116_11451969

Note they don't say what models.

... it would be a very smart move on Porsche's part.
They would join BMW and Mercedes Benz which already have US plants.
They'd get a boost in sales from the largest car market in the world.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Porsche is I bet almost forced to manufacturer some vehicles here and sooner rather than later.

That's good news/bad news. While we will be able to afford to buy made in USA Porsches we won't be able to afford to buy gasoline for them.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

1. VW just opened a TN plant
2. The USA is not only the largest auto market (not for long, here comes China!) but far and away Porsche's largest

Grant

the product the TN plant is intended to produce in volume hasn't been well received by the press in its initial showings. All that investment for less than expected output leads to a new strategy.

I was in TN near the plant this past weekend. The hotel we were in was full of folks from Germany many wearing VW logo clothing. The plant just started production within the last week or so and the first car to be built there is the 2012 Passat which has been redesigned to compete with Camry and Accords. Here's an article on the car at Road and Track:

[www.roadandtrack.com]

It's a HUGH new plant. You've got to believe that there is excess capacity even if the new car is successful. Agree with Mike that the question is "what" will consume that capacity and how will that change now that they own Porsche. Of course, I'm hoping they build them here and sell them for less!

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

2 years ago I was regularly going by the BMW plant and noting they had stopped work on their second plant. Somehow building a multi-hundred-million dollar plant in these days of excess strikes me as just crazy. As are these goals of being #1 overnight. It takes years to build the reputation and multiple desirable/affordable cars. As are the multiple make-em-here and then make-em-there decisions. I've had to build a product in a remote factory, it is tough to pull off.

Gosh are those ugly wheels.

I noticed the wheels too and don't care for them. Maybe there's an expensive option for better ones...

Here's an article from the Chattanooga paper this morning. Timely.

[www.timesfreepress.com]

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

I 'd expect building the Porsche in China will do great things for the marque's cachet--in China..:.

I understand they need to be close--when manufacturing-- to their largest markets, but suspect that vehicles made in China won't be sold just in the home market, given the labor rate differentials between China and the EU. Volvo, now owned by Geely of China, has been making noises of marketing Chinese-made Volvos in the US.

If that were to happen, I wonder if they would move to a distribution network utilizing Walmart stores as direct points of sale, rather than a traditional dealership network?

Interesting that VW just opened a plant in Tennessee. The first car built there is the 2012 VW Passat which rolled the first one off the assembly line just in the last week or so. There's been mention in the local paper there that they may build Audi and Porsche models.

The quote from the US VW CEO in the artilce: ...reducing the exposure to currency fluctuations and significantly reducing transportation costs...

[athome.volkswagengroupamerica.com]

Dave - 06 987 S coupe SG/NL; gone (but still my first love): 03 986 AS/GG/BK;

Looks like they're following the model used by the Japanese here--build a plant in a "greenfield"site, using non-union labor.

I hope they are more successful than their ill-fated attempt in the mid-70's; the US could use the jobs.