# New Porsche sedan..would you buy one?



## TMARCUSK (Oct 21, 2007)

I'm a huge Porschephile, but this one is tough for me to stomach. As was the Cayenne. Would you buy one of these? Do you think Porsche is going too far to be competitive? Does it cheapen the brand?

Porsche's Panamera sedan is headed for a debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show next spring, but engineers are busy putting prototypes through paces on the roads of Europe and some were snapped during a refueling stop.

With the 2010 Panamera, which likely will go on sale not long after the Geneva show, Porsche takes aim at vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7 and Aston Martin Rapide.

The engine lineup is expected to include a base 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine from Volkswagen. That powerplant will make around 300 hp. Porsche is also developing a direct-injection eight-cylinder gas engine to crank out 350 hp in normally aspirated guise and a whopping 560 hp after twin turbos are mounted.


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

No. Never. I hate it so much. So ugly. So not Porsche. It's blasphemy for the same reason the Cayenne is blasphemy.


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## TMARCUSK (Oct 21, 2007)

Agreed. Porsche _is_ *sports car*. Not SUV, not sedan. It'll be a sad day when they roll that thing out. Porsche is selling out in my opinion.


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## mtbscott (Jul 16, 2003)

That's an obvious photoshop BTW. Personally, I'm a lot more okay with a Porsche sedan than I am with a Porsche SUV. That said, historically the Cayenne saved the company's independence. In the early 90's Porsche was struggling financially and appeared doomed to be swallowed up by a bigger conglomerate. Enter the highly profitable Cayenne, and voila Porsche is now considered the most profitable car company on earth relative to its size. They are on their way to majority ownership of VW and in turn their brands Audi, Lamborghini, SEAT, Bentley, etc. If producing a couple of more pedestrian models for the bucks (i.e. "selling out") allows them to keep making their line of sports cars, then I'm okay with it.


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## Sam Cogley (Jun 8, 2008)

mtbscott said:


> That's an obvious photoshop BTW. Personally, I'm a lot more okay with a Porsche sedan than I am with a Porsche SUV. That said, historically the Cayenne saved the company's independence. In the early 90's Porsche was struggling financially and appeared doomed to be swallowed up by a bigger conglomerate. Enter the highly profitable Cayenne, and voila Porsche is now considered the most profitable car company on earth relative to its size. They are on their way to majority ownership of VW and in turn their brands Audi, Lamborghini, SEAT, Bentley, etc. If producing a couple of more pedestrian models for the bucks (i.e. "selling out") allows them to keep making their line of sports cars, then I'm okay with it.


Sounds like the logic that convinced Enzo to build road cars instead of focusing only on racing.


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## RCK (Jan 29, 2003)

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=105121


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## Bruce128iC (Feb 16, 2003)

No, I'm sure I cannot afford one.


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## TMARCUSK (Oct 21, 2007)

mtbscott said:


> That's an obvious photoshop BTW. Personally, I'm a lot more okay with a Porsche sedan than I am with a Porsche SUV. That said, historically the Cayenne saved the company's independence. In the early 90's Porsche was struggling financially and appeared doomed to be swallowed up by a bigger conglomerate. Enter the highly profitable Cayenne, and voila Porsche is now considered the most profitable car company on earth relative to its size. They are on their way to majority ownership of VW and in turn their brands Audi, Lamborghini, SEAT, Bentley, etc. If producing a couple of more pedestrian models for the bucks (i.e. "selling out") allows them to keep making their line of sports cars, then I'm okay with it.


Photoshop or not, it's very close to the finished product.

There is no one to blame for their financial struggles but themselves. They had a great product in the 356 and 911. They then decided that the 911 was getting stale and no longer a viable model in the current market place back in the mid 70's. It was then that they poured tons of money into the Porsche/VW/Audi front engine 924, 944 and 968. There was the 914 as well, but that's a whole other story. All relitively good cars in their own right, but in the Porsche faithful eyes, cheap copies and a wrong direction. They sold for sure, but to badge whores only. Porsche paid the price for many years with most Porshephiles thumbing their nose at the new models.

That said, the 924, 944 and 968 models were SPORTSCARS. Now, with the roll out of the Cayenne and Panamera I believe most Porsche loyal are feeling the same now as they did back when the 924, 44 and 68's rolled out. Only this time they are *not* sportscars.

Financially, was it the best decision? Maybe. I know Porsche is making money, for sure. But at what cost? Is it worth selling your soul? What I'm getting at is this, bring the SUV and sedan out under a subsidiary, not with Porshe. Easy for me to say, I don't run the company. But, with them rolling out these new models under the Porsche name I feel like it does cheapen the brand and loses it's exclusivity to an extent.

Porsche's old motto....Porsche, there is no substitute.

Porsche's new motto....Porsche, In badge whores we trust.

Just my humble opinion.


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## AB (Jan 11, 2002)

RCK said:


> http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=105121


The link and the pic you got the link from is more than 3 years old :rofl:


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## sdbrandon (Mar 18, 2006)

Looks like an older Fod Taurus.

Porshce is late to the game. No one wants a gas hog sedan.


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## swajames (Jan 16, 2005)

TMARCUSK said:


> Photoshop or not, it's very close to the finished product.
> 
> There is no one to blame for their financial struggles but themselves. They had a great product in the 356 and 911. They then decided that the 911 was getting stale and no longer a viable model in the current market place back in the mid 70's. It was then that they poured tons of money into the Porsche/VW/Audi front engine 924, 944 and 968. There was the 914 as well, but that's a whole other story. All relitively good cars in their own right, but in the Porsche faithful eyes, cheap copies and a wrong direction. They sold for sure, but to badge whores only. Porsche paid the price for many years with most Porshephiles thumbing their nose at the new models.
> 
> ...


Porsche's diminution of the brand pales into insignificance compared to BMW's efforts in recent years to create cars for all market segments including some that no one knew existed. The Panamera is a higher end product that is intended to compete with the upcoming Aston Martin Rapide, higher end Mercedes coupes (CLS 63), high end 7 series (the new one is just around the corner and will be a monster) and the Quattroporte. That's a pretty logical extension for the brand and it will do so maintaining both Porsche's prestige market positioning and focus on performance and sport. The Panamera won't disappoint on either count. I don't disagree that the base Cayenne is a diminution of the brand, the others at least maintain a performance edge over their competition, but it's inaccurate to include the Panamera in this category.


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

I'm still waiting for the Porsche pickup truck, and the Porsche minivan.


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## Sam Cogley (Jun 8, 2008)

TMARCUSK said:


> Photoshop or not, it's very close to the finished product.
> 
> There is no one to blame for their financial struggles but themselves. They had a great product in the 356 and 911. They then decided that the 911 was getting stale and no longer a viable model in the current market place back in the mid 70's. It was then that they poured tons of money into the Porsche/VW/Audi front engine 924, 944 and 968. There was the 914 as well, but that's a whole other story. All relitively good cars in their own right, but in the Porsche faithful eyes, cheap copies and a wrong direction. They sold for sure, but to badge whores only. Porsche paid the price for many years with most Porshephiles thumbing their nose at the new models.
> 
> ...


Porsche has always had an entry-level sportscar of some sort. The 356 (after the introduction of the 911), the 912/912e, the 914...any Porsche snobs who try to say differently need to look at the history of their own favorite marque.


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## swajames (Jan 16, 2005)

Sam Cogley said:


> Porsche has always had an entry-level sportscar of some sort. The 356 (after the introduction of the 911), the 912/912e, the 914...any Porsche snobs who try to say differently need to look at the history of their own favorite marque.


+1.


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

TMARCUSK said:


> Photoshop or not, it's very close to the finished product.
> 
> There is no one to blame for their financial struggles but themselves. They had a great product in the 356 and 911. They then decided that the 911 was getting stale and no longer a viable model in the current market place back in the mid 70's. It was then that they poured tons of money into the Porsche/VW/Audi front engine 924, 944 and 968. There was the 914 as well, but that's a whole other story. All relitively good cars in their own right, but in the Porsche faithful eyes, cheap copies and a wrong direction. They sold for sure, but to badge whores only. Porsche paid the price for many years with most Porshephiles thumbing their nose at the new models.
> 
> ...


I agree.

What happened was there were two Porsche families controlling the company. In the beginning (up to the 928/944/964 years), the "old" family was in control, and liked to keep it to its origins. Then in the '70s, the "new" family too control, and this is the same family that is in control today. That's when they sold out to badge whores because they viewed it as a financially sound decision, and it really was, but to people like me, it irritates me.

And yes, I agree, the 944/928/964 were proper sports cars. And they were NOT cheap either. They performed very well, and were the best of their breed.

I'm sure the Panamera will be fast as heck, but to me, a Porsche sedan isn't a Porsche at all. It feels as if its a homologation of a VW Passat with a Porsche logo.


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## swajames (Jan 16, 2005)

BmW745On19's said:


> I agree.
> 
> And they were NOT cheap either. They performed very well, and were the best of their breed.


The Panamera won't be any different. And frankly, the concept of BMW owners pontificating on badge and brand diminution is laughable.


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

swajames said:


> The Panamera won't be any different. And frankly, the concept of BMW owners pontificating on badge and brand diminution is laughable.


I dont own an X5, do I?


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## swajames (Jan 16, 2005)

BmW745On19's said:


> I dont own an X5, do I?


 :bigpimp:


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## stylinexpat (May 23, 2004)

RCK said:


> http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=105121


Sort of reminds me of the Mercedes CSL:dunno:


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## cozia83 (Dec 24, 2007)

BmW745On19's said:


> No. Never. I hate it so much. So ugly. So not Porsche. It's blasphemy for the same reason the Cayenne is blasphemy.


+1 Couldn't agree more!


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