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1,381 views Nov 14, 2011

Entry-level Porsche Roadster rendering

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If you think the economy is bad in the United States these days, you need only look to Europe to see that things could indeed be worse. The “slowing global economic recovery,” if you’re the glass-is-half-full type, has automakers pondering just what the future holds.

One of those automakers is Porsche, which now seems to have cooled on bringing an entry-level roadster to market. Its “Sub-Boxster” was to have been powered by a flat-four engine, and would have slotted into the Porsche lineup below the current Boxster roadster.

Seen as the spiritual descendent of the much-revered Porsche 550 Spyder, the car was expected to have a starting price of around $54,000, making it the least expensive vehicle in Porsche’s lineup. Sales were to begin in 2014, according to earlier reports.

Porsche hasn’t officially killed the car, and Autoweek quotes Porsche’s CEO, Matthias Mueller, as saying during an interview with Financial Times Deutschland: “The financial crisis is real and we need to see how far it develops. If... it leads to a cooling of the auto industry, this would certainly impact our strategy.”

Mueller went on to say that Porsche may reach a decision on the model’s fate soon, unless it puts off action until next year. In other words, Porsche won’t take any action until the economy improves. Or worsens.

Don’t feel too bad for the Stuttgart-based automaker, however, since Porsche’s sales through October are up over 28 percent from last year. Even without a “Sub-Boxster,” Mueller is confident that the brand will double annual sales, reaching 200,000 units by 2018.