As reported by Reuters and Yahoo Finance:

"It always irritated me that the (most expensive) 911 tops out at 250,000 euros ($360,000) and then the 918 continues starting at 750,000 euros," Matthias Mueller told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview published on Monday.
"In between, Ferrari moseys around relatively comfortably and without any competition. That is where we need to be. There is still space for a larger sports car, one like the 959 that we built in the 1980s."

Emphasis added.


Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Porsch...8&asset=&ccode=

 

i'm confused, wasnt that the carrera GT? it's still mechanically relevant/advanced, modern-ly design, and used models are wildly popular and still command a premium (ok, maybe in part because of it's limited #'s but still...)

so why did they stop making it??

just sayin...

 

Sorry but you can't compete with Ferrari when you sell 50 K SUV's (Cayenne V6) and have a mini-boxster and mini-Cayenne slated for production starting at 45-50K.


Porsche is wayyyyyyyy downmarket from Ferrari. Porsche just happens to be almost as good as Ferrari in terms of performance, that is all.

It has nowhere near the prestige. WIthin 10 years, Porsche will become a common badge; THey WILL develop a baby Panamera (and it will be an amazing car), and like the 3-series, Porsche will grace many driveways in North AMerica so long as the money supply is loose.

Ferrari never will. They are all about tight control. Porsche is about expanding sales.


911 is expensive for the badge. WIth the exception of those with a lot of money, NO ONE will buy a Ferrari-priced Porsche ever. People will always buy a Ferrari, then maybe buy the Porsche equivalent if they can.

Great brand, but they're dreaming if they think they can take on the prestige and style of Ferrari. Performance, yes...looks, desirability, and prestige and sound, no.

 

I agree with most of your comments but I disagree that there wouldn't be strong interest in a "Ferrari-priced" P-car. The big problem to me with Ferraris isn't the initial cost, it's the impracticality of driving in bumpy conditions, and foul weather, and especially the insane maintenance, which basically means you can't track them unless you have F.U. money as we say around here.

If Porsche could come out with a supercar that's more controlled supply than the Turbos, that looks and drives more like an exotic BUT with less onerous maintenance and decent ground clearance, and price it around $200-250k, I for one would be very interested. Porsche sold out the latest GT2 and GT3 4.0's in short order, so I think there is demand for higher priced P-cars.

BTW, Muller commented on the b/w 911 and 918 supercar a few months ago and said it would price somewhere around $400k-500k euros, which is nuts. (I don't remember the exact number, but it was more than the current Italian exotics).

 

I see what you're saying. I wouldn't be surprised if Porsche's Ferrari-fighter were better driving than the Ferrari, and more reliable. It WILL NOT be better looking, Porsche does not have a history of making good looking things. Relative to the Italians/Aston.

I still feel most people in that price bracket will say...I"ll take my 458 Italia first...then worry about Porsche. Ferrari ownership isn't about track time, its also about image and sound.


No one for a moment doubts Porsche's ability to produce mechanical perfection. I still look forward to a Gallardo or the next baby lambo to add to the Porsche.

 

Good post. I agree, for the most part (you had me until the last part about the sound).

Ferrari's exclusivity can't be ignored. I will have one (regardless of the possibility of inferior performance to my DD).

 

Granted they haven't produced a single one yet but IMO the 918 is as sexy as any Lambo or Ferrari... well, almost
And in 2005, I think the CGT was as good lookin' as the F430, Gallardo and Murci.
Today, for the money, I agree it's a no brainer choosing the 458 over the GT2 or Speedster...

 

Ferrari has priced most people out of the market as far as new cars go, however there are clearly enough buyers for what they make.

I bought a new 911 because I could get a well built, engineered, etc, car for aprox 100k. Having owned a 308 many years ago I know that Ferrari
ownership is not cheap. I did not like what the same money would by in a
used Ferrari - so I bought a new Porsche.

I do think that Porsche could sell cars in the 200 to 250k range.

 

If Porsche just raised the price on the current line about $50k for each, would that be better?

Obviously not.

What might happen - is Porsche could create a CGT-like car for $250k (a McLaren/458 fighter), but then I think it would cannibalize GT2/GT2RS sales.

The only way this could happen - I believe - is to reduce the overall cost of the 911 line, and create a definite gap between the two ($100k-$160k to $250k). That way, we can't nickel and dime a GT2 all the way up to $230k, and then offer a base 'xxxx' for $250k.

 

One point not mentioned so far is that, as a German car, Porsche will always have a more somber and serious demeanor than the more flamboyant Italian exotics. And I think that's great - we need to have at least one German company making pure sports cars.

Also, on the price aspect, just as Ferrari and Lambo largely dominate their market segment, Porsche largely dominates the "affordable" sports car segment. I'd like to see more competion in both segments, but it's hard to compete with such established and iconic manufacturers.

 

McLaren and Lexus had no problem finding a niche in this market.

 

If Porsche can build cars with performance that rivals Ferari for $100,000 to $200,000, shouldn't they be able to build cars that kick Ferrari's butt once you get up into the $250,000 to $400,000 range?

 

I agree on McLaren, but they already have a big name from their history in racing.

With Lexus, I think they'll have a very uphill battle, no matter what performance numbers the LFA delivers. That's a luxury brand if there ever was one.

I see the GT-R and LFA as primarily (impressive) attempts to demonstrate look-what-I-can-do engineering expertise and bring publicity to Nissan and Lexus, not to establish these brands as companies with a focused interest in building sports cars.

 

i'd rather see Porsche compete with Ferrari in F1...

 

I completely agree...... Porsche will become like BMW..... VW group should not water down the brand....