Re: I drove a base 718 Cayman & I can't knock the engine's performance. Course that's coming . . .

Wow. How exclusive.

Porsche overall sold maybe 25 more cars than in 2021 (70k+) with the SUVs leading the way.

Late to this topic, but saw the total PCNA 2022 numbers yesterday in the latest Panorama:

[newsroom.porsche.com]

-718 numbers down around 20% compared to 2021
-911 numbers about the same
-Cayanne up 20+ %
-Macan down a bit
-Taycan down 20%

Supply issues have been mentioned regarding the Taycan, but I don't think that's been an issue with the 718 since it shares a lot of parts with the 911.

Regarding the Taycan, the reliability issues of the 2020/2021 have gotten a lot of press and I'm sure that's affected sales; has the reliability improved in 2022?

I wonder to what extent the 4 cylinder conversion impacted sales. Talk about bad press. Almost feels like the very early 90's with those kinds of numbers.

I also wonder whether we will see any new advancement in the ICE units or whether they will be treated as end of life while all development goes to battery operated stuff.

SUV's never made much sense to me. But if they sell, they sell. Unfortunately, I wonder if they are indirectly killing the remnants of the sports car company that once existed.

... a we are looking at the demise of the automobile industry as we've known it.
The car now becomes a piece of hardware with no soul and offering no enjoyment.
Kids nowadays don't even look forward to getting their license.
No more posters of Turbos or Lamborghinis in bedrooms so you could dream about them.
I'm glad to be on the way out, because I really don't like my outlook of the future.

Enjoy it while you can.
Happy Porsche'ing,
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

I agree, Pedro. It's also going to impact negatively the PCA, which is a great automobile club. I have dutifully purchased spring & fall raffle tickets, but the first time they're offering an electric Porsche up for raffle is the day I will pass. Pedro, you're going to have to go back to school & get that electrical engineering degree if you're going to continue on as the Boxster tech guy!

It's one thing to plug in a battery tender, but . . .

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

from a guy who still runs a 2.5. The big complaint I have heard is the engine sound doesn't stand up to the sound of a flat six, any flat six, even my 2.5. That's true, but I'd much rather have a Turbo 4 than an all-electric.

I think the declining sales stem from the Porsche market knowing the electric direction our company is determined to pursue. Of course, they don't have a choice & the EU & German government are directing them to go this route. That's what's happening here in the US, but there are only the US domestic SUV, pickup, & Jeep-in-name-only manufacturers being forced, & who cares?

But hey, the Galaxy is @ stake & we all must do our part to save the Galaxy!

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

Maybe the prices have something to do with the sales numbers. When you start configuring and get to $80k plus even without many fancy options .... Wheel bolts for $1570 !!!!!!!

Kids today are paying off loans and looking for $25k cars if not used cars. Their parents are paying off mortgages and paying for college for the kids. It is a smaller and smaller set that can afford a Porsche.

Not to mention the climate impact that kids are realizing. Will be interesting to see the weight of an EV boxster.

Many of us recall when the Boxster was first introduced in the North American market, in spring of 1997 I believe. Porsche was very open about setting their base price for the Boxster @ $39,980 US, as a strategy to make them affordable to a new audience of drivers, many of them younger ones, who felt priced out of purchasing a Porsche otherwise. It was also a Hail Mary of sorts for the company, which had seen its sales #s drop precipitously, to the point it was rumored the company might be up for sale. It worked very well indeed, both for the company & for its clients..

That's going to be tough to replicate w/EVs, even in today's $$.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2023 01:34PM by John Brown of SE SoDak. (view changes)

At the time I bought my Boxster (2000), I could have purchased a Camaro or Mustang for less than half the price I paid for the Porsche.

If anything, I think the spread between Porsche prices and average vehicle prices has shrunk. My wife's DD Jeep was roughly $60K and it was close to a base model.
Many other SUV's were in the 70's or more. Regular folks are driving those things at those prices.

I agree that yuppies (or whatever that demographic is called today) do not lust after cars like our generation did. Many of my friend's children do not get licenses when they turn of age, and many delay for years.
even then, they view cars as an appliance rather than a joy.

I suspect the lack of passion has a lot to do with sales too. The lack of passion is very likely driven by the massive debt these folks have - for sure. I bet they just want to make ends meet period.

I wanted a Porsche & I wanted that particular Porsche, for which I had been on a waiting list while we lived in Germany since 1995. In 1997, the base price for the 911 was $63,750. Tthe 968's & 928's last year was 1995. Those wanting a German marque & competing w/the 986 were the Mercedes SLK debuting in 1996 as well as the BMW Z3 debuting also in 1996 (German release of the 986 was also in 1996).

I agree w/your remarks about younger generations being far less interested in any cars. Perhaps if I had been subjected to the same negative views about ruining the earth's climate being caused by internal combustion vehicles when I attended primary, secondary, & higher education schools in the US, I wouldn't have been so interested in owning a relatively upscale vehicle either.

JB/SE SoDak
1997 986 - Wolfi
Yankton, SD

"Wisdom is the most perfect knowledge of the most important truths in the right order of emphasis, accompanied by a total, permanent disposition to live accordingly.

-- Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.

"(School is to be a factory) in which raw products, children, are to be shaped and formed into finished products . . .(m)anufactured like nails, and the specifications for manufacturing will come from government and industry."

-- Elwood P. Cubberley, Dean of School of Education, Stanford University, 1905

"The creatures that want to live a life of their own, we call wild. If wild, then no matter how harmless, we treat them as outlaws, and those of us who are 'specially well brought up shoot them for fun."

-- Clarence Day, This Simian World

kids don't want to drive. My grands live in a city with decent public transport but couldn't wait to drive. Now granted we are a 5 hybrid family now with two of them being plug-ins. They buy used and run them into the ground when they don't have an unfortunate meeting with a ladder that fell off a pick-up truck.

Would she need a car was one of the considerations when the oldest chose a college last night. So at least mine aren't totally anti-car even if they are recycling fanatics who still buy milk in glass bottles.

Do any of them know anything about cars in terms of maintenance? No. I doubt any could change a tire. But then how many cars these days even have spares.