Hot! Porsche: What's Next

[hoffmeister_fan]

I love his earlier designs and own a 991. This most recent crop of vehicles make it look like he's trapped. People crap on Gorden Wagener for his very evolutionary designs over the last 15 years but I'd say Porsche is just as bad if not worse.

Bingo. The Panny mk3, the Cayenne EV and the upcoming Boxster just looks relatively sterile. That said, it retrospect, most Porsche design is in some way iterative of the 911 design language, but that's probably because that's what the buying public expects. You deviate too much, and it then lacks a certain Porsche-ness. And it introducing elements of other Porsches, like a 917 or 904, don't really lend themselves to what today's consumers demand, which tend to be 2-box high-riders.

It's sometimes said that a Porsche designer may have one of the easiest job in car design since they have the 911 as a template to work off of. But Porsche heading into some of the strongest headwinds right now since it has to thread the needle where it has to be forward-looking yet familiar without retreading too much of its past and still be desirable. And to add to that, there's the whole powertrain and mechanics they have to get right where there's a wider range of preferences, globally. Interesting times ahead, indeed.

PS: the 918 might be his best effort. New elements over a classic Porsche profile. Also my favorite of the "Holy Trinity."

 

[Centurion]

The Panny mk3, the Cayenne EV and the upcoming Boxster just looks relatively sterile. That said, it retrospect, most Porsche design is in some way iterative of the 911 design language, but that's probably because that's what the buying public expects. You deviate too much, and it then lacks a certain Porsche-ness.

Regarding the sterileness and sameness, that’s partially part of the appeal of owning a 911. The latest Ferraris and Lambos attract a lot of attention. 911 not so much. A few months ago I saw a dechromed dark sea 992 mk2 touring driving about. Not a single person was turning their heads. Visually, non car people could mistake it for a €30k 2018 Cayman.

That’s totally fine because it allows you to own one of the most tactile and visceral sports cars but with total discretion.

 

[Design FIRST]

Porsche has long been the embodiment of organic design. Certainly, there are some cases in which the "organic canvas" has been disrupted in it's flow due to vents, wings, splitters and the like. But fundamentally, the basis is evident. There is a natural human attraction towards biomorphic, muscular forms. They are timeless. I can say that for relatively few manufacturers nowadays. Some presenting a more angular, geometric design paradigm such as Land/Range Rover and Volvo/Polestar. And of course, the "organic" Porsche.

 

[Esp5]

Hopefully, the new designer will make some substantial changes, finding a way to maintain while innovating. Porsche has spent decades repeating the same thing, and their latest "totally new" models look like mere FL's. Sales aren't falling just because China is so complex.

 

[Design FIRST]

Sales aren't falling just because China is so complex.

One must note that Germany, Porsche's third largest market following the U.S. and China, has been in the midst of a severe 4 year economic recession. Especially the Taycan, initially very popular, has taken a major hit as company fleet managers have been steering clear. And an additional large number of mid-tier business enterprises have become insolvent over the course of the past year.

 

[Josef1983]

Bingo. The Panny mk3, the Cayenne EV and the upcoming Boxster just looks relatively sterile. That said, it retrospect, most Porsche design is in some way iterative of the 911 design language, but that's probably because that's what the buying public expects. You deviate too much, and it then lacks a certain Porsche-ness. And it introducing elements of other Porsches, like a 917 or 904, don't really lend themselves to what today's consumers demand, which tend to be 2-box high-riders.

It's sometimes said that a Porsche designer may have one of the easiest job in car design since they have the 911 as a template to work off of. But Porsche heading into some of the strongest headwinds right now since it has to thread the needle where it has to be forward-looking yet familiar without retreading too much of its past and still be desirable. And to add to that, there's the whole powertrain and mechanics they have to get right where there's a wider range of preferences, globally. Interesting times ahead, indeed.

PS: the 918 might be his best effort. New elements over a classic Porsche profile. Also my favorite of the "Holy Trinity."

I agree with you! I love the Porsche 918 hybrid especially its proportions and also the overall design! Not as the 1998 911 GT 1 but more than the beautiful Carrera GT V10

 

[Serpens]

Regarding the sterileness and sameness, that’s partially part of the appeal of owning a 911. The latest Ferraris and Lambos attract a lot of attention. 911 not so much. A few months ago I saw a dechromed dark sea 992 mk2 touring driving about. Not a single person was turning their heads. Visually, non car people could mistake it for a €30k 2018 Cayman.

That’s totally fine because it allows you to own one of the most tactile and visceral sports cars but with total discretion.

That works for the 911 indeed, but the lineup is much bigger than that car nowadays. And those can't pull off the same discreetness.

 

[SKY]

I believe it is the right move for the future. Porsche needs a bit of spice.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

Through the 911's released over the years, I do not consider the 911 sterile. Relatively ubiquitous? Perhaps, but not sterile owing to its silhouette being unique and, yes, an iconic shape. What I consider sterile are how design details are so much more squared off and rectilinear on things like F/L'ed Taycan, Panny, etc.

And that's where the difficulty comes in.... Porsche generally has had a more rounded, curvy aesthetic throughout its history. I am sure there are exceptions like the 914, but Porsches worth their salt are not monolithic in appearance. So the question is do you continue with what's been essentially foundational to the brand and be labeled as stale or do you venture away and risk losing the brand's identity? I felt Porsche could get away using the former approach because along with the tried-and-true design it had enviable performance and handling dynamics. And a lot had to do with their ICE powertrain which, as cliche as it sounds, tend to be more soul-stirring then an EV set-up. Granted, Porsche has continued to imbue their EV cars with dynamism their ICE counterparts have, it's still not the same.

 

[Swissbob]

Porsche’s New CEO Might Bury The 718 EVs Before They Even Launch | Carscoops

The electric 718s were meant to define Porsche’s future, but soaring costs and delays now threaten to kill them before they hit the road

www.carscoops.com

DOA probably.

 

[Design FIRST]

Porsche’s New CEO Might Bury The 718 EVs Before They Even Launch | Carscoops

The electric 718s were meant to define Porsche’s future, but soaring costs and delays now threaten to kill them before they hit the road

www.carscoops.com

DOA probably.

Questions:

Will a cancellation or delay actually happen ?

A wise, focused, forwards oriented decision should it happen...?

...or knee-jerk measure out of desperation firmly anchored in perceived consensus that can be fickle, whimsical and very shortlived ?

New CEO Michael Leiters has very impressive credentials. I can only trust that he has a very firm grasp of what the results and consequences of his decisions may be.

Porsche's financial woes are not due exclusively to "electrification" per se. The bumbling, dithering, often seemingly incompetent "Cariad Factor" in the PPE equation is the major culprit. Along with the significant product delays that this encompassed.

 

[martinbo]

The premise is much simpler; no one's going to buy an electric Boxster or Cayman.

 

[Centurion]

Porsche’s New CEO Might Bury The 718 EVs Before They Even Launch | Carscoops

The electric 718s were meant to define Porsche’s future, but soaring costs and delays now threaten to kill them before they hit the road

www.carscoops.com

DOA probably.

Cancelling it would be a mistake. Inevitably in 10-15 years, there will need to be an electric 911. The best way to prepare for that and iterate with customer feedback is to launch an EV 718.

 

[Esp5]

Cancelling it would be a mistake. Inevitably in 10-15 years, there will need to be an electric 911. The best way to prepare for that and iterate with customer feedback is to launch an EV 718.

Not if you go bankrupt because of it

 

[Design FIRST]

Not if you go bankrupt because of it

Bankruptcy resulting from the production go-ahead for the Boxster/Cayman EVs can in all probably be catagorically dismissed for a number of reasons. The real question is that of the amortization of the investment made in order to develope and produce it.

 

[Esp5]

The real question is that of the amortization of the investment made in order to develope and produce it.

An investment that they are surely realizing they will not recoup.

 

[Design FIRST]

An investment that they are surely realizing they will not recoup.

Solely viewed in monetary terms, that is indeed a very distinct possibility. New CEO Leiters along with the Porsche/Piech family will soon call the shot.