Report: VW To Kill Porsche Panamera, Cayenne
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Porsche fans have loudly lamented the company's loss of independence, especially - as they see it - to Europe's prime purveyor of the mundane, Volkswagen. But that alliance may actually bring about the Porsche Purists' ultimate end goal: the eradication of the non-sports car models from Porsche's lineup - at least, if the latest reports out of the UK are to be believed.
Take the following with a lifetime supply of salt, but according to a report in Car magazine, the Volkswagen Group is planning to force Porsche out of the SUV and sedan business once the current models are done with their run. That should take about seven years - the average lifespan of a car architecture.
The argument goes something like this: VW already builds plenty of sedans and SUVs through its VW and Audi brands, among others, and doesn't need the duplicative efforts of Porsche impeding growth and sapping development dollars.
That makes sense, in a way, but presumes that Porsche and VW's other brands overlap in a way that makes significant business sense. An extension of this logic would lead to the banishment of all sports cars from Audi's portfolio, including the stunning new A5 and its upcoming S5 Sportback and possible RS5 variants. Does that make sense?
And while they're at it, they might as well eliminate duplication between VW and Audi as well, and scrap all the sedans, wagons and SUVs at VW, leaving only a few hatchbacks, the rebadged Chrysler-based Routan minivan and a few odds and ends in the South American market.
And so on, to even greater levels of absurdity - why not throw Skoda into the mix? Surely Bentley and Lamborghini could use some tweaking as well?
On the other hand, a VW vendetta against Porsche's more mainstream offerings wouldn't be entirely out of character with the boardroom dramas and baby-monitor spy sagas of the previous two or so years of hostile takeover posturing.
Volkswagen also won't be putting Porsche development entirely on the back burner, instead leveraging a joint platform that's been discussed many times over the past year: a mid-engine, entry-level roadster like the Bluesport. The idea behind the project would be to revive the spirit of one of the cars that made Porsche great, the original 356.
Following on with the sports-cars-only theme, a possible replacement to the Carrera GT could also still be on the books, possibly something like the Le Mans Prototype RS Spyder-based car we previewed for you back in May.
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By AOS Posted: 8/31/2009 5:15pm PDT
By Grey Razor Posted: 8/31/2009 5:35pm PDT
By WizardsLore Posted: 8/31/2009 7:06pm PDT
the Panamera is on my wish list as a purchase one day. So unlike the fabled 928GTS that was stopped in 1996 i want to be able to purchase a new one when i am financially able. so it would be a waste of R&D funds if they drop it after one life cycle.
then again they may be playing marketing geniouses in that people assume that the Panamera is a single cycle model and will snap them up !
VW will need swift kick in the head if they decide to drop these 2 models.
By Dontlie Posted: 8/31/2009 7:28pm PDT
I mean seriously, who ok'd the release of the Panamera in the first place, that Thing looks Horrid.
By brum08 Posted: 8/31/2009 11:31pm PDT
By gazzed Posted: 9/1/2009 2:02am PDT
Good on them.. really!
Yeah just finish-off the Cayenne and Panamera's life cycles and start producing something that is of the Porsche mould - sportscars and keep them different and more inspirational in design and build. Do keep the iconic 911 and maybe Boxter in there.
I believe the "old" Porsche mantra of taking the 911 gene and literally expanding on this basis alone will now change.. at last!
I would have thought that Martin Wintercorn, and especailly Dr. Ferdinand Piech would build things up, not knock things down, even as a result of politics. What makes this even odder is this follows a series of reports which appeared on several familiar automotive news & enthusiast sites stating that Porsche is EXPANDING the line-up in order to become a FULLER line of vehicles, including an addition of a Sub-Boxer entry level sportster, a smaller SUV to sit below the Cayenne in the line-up, and a variant of the Panamera, perhaps a GT-type model in the order of the previous 928.
I am bummed out with the possible Porsche news, even though now that they are in control of VAG (soon to be Auto-Union?), but, if anything, I do hope that the Panamera will stay, even more than the Cayenne, and even more so get a GT 928-successor variant. The Cayenne will have a new-generation afoot, and this can last a good seven years, this upcoming incarnation, and a lot can happen in seven years. Yes, you have a valid point, too, that the Cayenne shares with the Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Toureg, where the Panamera is unique. But, the Panamera in it's first generation could also last seven or so years, and, again, have the 2-door GT variant, and, I'll reiterate, a lot can happen in seven years, which would basically bring us to 2016!
By Devigny Posted: 9/1/2009 8:06am PDT
http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1022786_official-porsche-now-owns-more-than-50-of-vw
??
thatsfucking retarded..
and like other poeple said buyers with cayenne will just go with mercedes and BMW instead.
By bepsf Posted: 9/1/2009 9:19am PDT
It makes sense to me that they would cut the Porsche lineup - the Audi Q7 could easily move into the performance SUV/CUV niche abandoned by the Cayenne... (Q7-S? Q7-R?)
...and the Panamera could easily be replaced w/ the Next-Gen S8 - but Porsche does need a 928 replacement.
However, Nelson is cracked if he thinks that the Audi A5/S5/RS5 competes w/ Porsche in any meaningful manner at all - or that VW wagons compete w/ Audi Avants.
I remember the days when Porsche and Audi were paired up in US showrooms - It would make sense to do the same thing again.
The point is that even Porsche's Cayenne and Panamera aren't competitive with the VW Group's other SUVs and sedan.s
By Alister Posted: 9/1/2009 9:57am PDT
As saddened as I am for the impending demise of the Cayenne, after it's upcoming generation, and Panamera after one generation, I've come to this: they'll both be around for some seven years, which is a decent life-cycle, it's now likely that the Panamera will morph to a 2-door, 2+2 GT type car (also maintains the great efforts and investment in the chassis), and the Cayenne is shared with SUVs in the form of a Volkswagen and an Audi, so, it'll be around in some form. Also, Porsche will be refocused onto it's roots, and the VAG/Auto-Union has an abundance of sedans/saloons and SUVS, on many levels among it's brands.
By Gektor Posted: 9/1/2009 1:00pm PDT
By DanDan Posted: 9/2/2009 11:37am PDT
That's ridiculous they rebadge Touareg's as Cayenne's and make a huge profit, use A8 chassis to make a Panerma which will be a hugely profitable car. They wont get rid of them at all.
Only cannibalisation is with S5/RS5 and the base 911' and the TT-RS and the Boxster. Like-for-like the badge engineering works well to have added value on Porsche products and the prices of the ranges of Porsche to VW and Audi is tiered so if you can afford the better one you will.
I imagine the internal tiering would look like this:
Skoda
Seat
VW
Audi
Porsche
Lambourginhi
Bentley
Bugatti
By Trevor M Posted: 9/7/2009 2:50pm PDT
The soulless number crunchers and egomaniacs behind the hideous sell-out Cayenne and the parody that is the Panamera need to be overruled and ousted. Immediately. I really hope the people at VW actually do what this magazine report describes.
By gifts for men Posted: 11/22/2009 10:24pm PST
By Tom F Posted: 12/21/2009 11:33am PST
By Cars for sale Posted: 1/20/2010 1:54am PST
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