911 made the list at #11, between the Camry and Accord! I'm not sure how scientific this study is, it seems all over the map to me.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/...e_cars/11.html

 

Lol thats funny

 

They called it profit but looks like method used is simply gross operating revenues, which would favor high volume makers more.

If they had done one as a margin percentile per unit, or class of units, I'd think Porsche would be way up there.

 

So is the "developed on a tiny budget" part true? It seems hard to believe considering the level of performance and precision of these cars. The article implies the engineering that supposedly goes into these cars is a fallacy propagated by Porsche marketing.

 

I recall reading some other articles noting that Porsche's profit margin is the highest in the industry, at close to 20%. Most other high-volume manufacturers were closer to 3% to 5%, and I recall Mercedes being around 13%. Of course, these numbers vary somewhat year to year.

I don't doubt that the 911 is a profit leader for Porsche. It sells for way more than the Boxster, Cayman, and Cayenne, yet I doubt it costs that much more to design and build. But they can get away with it because the 911 still delivers performance and enjoyment comparable to exotics which cost way more, while also being more practical than most of them. They're reaping the rewards that come from having a winning formula.