Sounds like he's simply being honest...

A reporter from Canada's Globe and Mail asked Matthias Mueller at the LA auto show which of the three new cars he'd spend his money on. He actually answered it and said the Cayman R. Figured he'd try to dance around it. This according to an article in today's Globe and Mail titled "Porsche 1, Naysayers 0." The basis of the article, though, is on the future of Porsche. VW is optomistic that it can reach 150,000 units per year and still keep the Porsche mystic. We'll see.

New 911 and Boxster coming out in 2011 as a 2012 model. In the 911, look for more hp and less weight. In Boxster, the biggest changes will be in chassis and powertrain. It mentions the four cyclinders or even a three cylinder turbo charged.

[www.theglobeandmail.com]

Maybe he took a pay cut to go over to Porsche..

Seriously, if the quote is correct, he didn't do Porsche sales any favors.
When the Porsche CEO chooses the low end of the product line as the car he'd buy, the message to the buying public is that the other products are either overpriced or not interesting--to him.

Can you imagine the CEO MB publicly choosing the C class or the CEO of BMW choosing the 3 series over their other product lines?

I think people who buy Porsches mostly understand the concept and value of "a drivers' car", and the message I get from his selection of the Cayman is simply that what's important to him personally is the POE (Purity of Essence) of the Porsche experience, and that can arguably be best realized with something like the Cayman R.

Those who want a 911 or a Panamera or a Pepper know why the want it, and the fact some suit prefers the Cayman is not likely to result in a down-sell for those customers, IMO. If anything, the entire episode seems to be designed to empower each individual to choose the car that best matches his/her personality, and critics of that option can go take a hike. I think it's refreshing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2010 06:03PM by Leor ('09S, North of Boston). (view changes)

Quote
Leor ('09S, North of Boston)
I think people who buy Porsches mostly understand the concept and value of "a drivers' car", and the message I get from his selection of the Cayman is simply that what's important to him personally is the POE (Purity of Essence) of the Porsche experience, and that can arguably be best realized with something like the Cayman R.

Those who want a 911 or a Panamerica or a Pepper know why the want it, and the fact some suit prefers the Cayman is not likely to result in a down-sell for those customers, IMO. If anything, the entire episode seems to be designed to empower each individual to choose the car that best matches his/her personality, and critics of that option can go take a hike. I think it's refreshing.

He may very well just have been honest about his own tastes, but after rereading the article, it just could be be that his comments are to provide a little more "buzz" about 2 new models of current product lines that are having slow sales years. Both the Boxster/Cayman and 911 platforms are up for a major redo next year and these new models provide a reason to buy now rather than wait for the new cars. Just a thought..

Many years ago at the Rennsport reunion one of the factory test drives was asked if there were one Porsche model he would take if it was the last one he would have he picked the Boxster S. Perfect blend of power and balance.

...looks, and two trunks, lol.