Quote:
Originally Posted by T Bone
- Porsche got lucky with market timing. The Cayenne came in a boom, the X5M / X6M is coming is the worst time in the auto industry
- Porsche didn't reinvest their profits from the Cayenne in their cars. Is the 997 that much better than the 996 or is the 998 going to be that much better than the 997? Are they going to continue to develop flat 6's?
When they killed the Z4M, the CSLs and even the CS, to make trucks, this was their corporate strategy in action. Cutting sedans, coupes and GTs in favor of trucks.
Given the current economy and the long road to recovery, BMW is going to HAVE to cut even more projects. What if they cut more from engine development? What if they don't do a new engine for every generation of M car? Let's just merge with AMG and get it over with....
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Porsche absolutely used the Cayenne to make other sports cars, and improve the breed across the line.
Without the Cayenne there would have been no Carrera GT, the 911 GT (GT3, GT2, etc) would not have been developed. The interiors of the 997 and 987 range would not have been so dramatically improved, and Porsche wouldn’t have had the money to purchase VW to help insure their survival.
While I don’t like to see M go force fed, or M badges on trucks, in this economic time it is essential that they do something like this. The development costs on these trucks was comparatively low (no unique engines or chassis, just a body kit), and the profit margin will be high, that is a good way to make money.