Porsche Panamera, Cayenne to be axed in wake of VW takeover

Porsche Panamera

Porsche to get more Porsche-like?

By Michael Gauthier
September 1, 2009 6:21 PM
Filed Under: Corporate/Financial, German, Industry, Porsche, Rumours, Volkswagen

The Porsche-Volkswagen merger keeps getting weirder, as a new report from Car Magazine indicates that VW will kill off the Cayenne and Panamera.

While the models would likely survive until 2016, it appears VW's Chairman, Ferdinand Piëch, wants Porsche to focus on sports cars instead of doing a little bit of everything. In a rather ironic turn of events, Piëch will effectively kill off the models spearheaded by ousted Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking. As you may recall, Wiedeking was one of the masterminds behind Porsche's failed attempt to takeover Volkswagen.

Despite having mixed feelings about the Cayenne, it's undeniable that the sport-ute was a huge money maker for Porsche. This makes a possible death sentence a little questionable, especially since Piëch wants to double Porsche sales in four years.

To accomplish this goal, Volkswagen will likely develop a shared platform that would underpin a new entry-level Porsche as well as a sporty new VW or Audi (Bluesport Concept or next generation TT / new R4). There is even talk of a new Carrera GT successor, but questions have been raised about VW's willingness to let it compete with Lamborghini, Bugatti and Audi (the R8 V10 specifically).

 

Source: autoobserver.com

Comments

Renegade
September 1, 2009 6:27 PM
Good, I approve the execution.

Sharpie
September 1, 2009 6:28 PM
No way, I want Porsche to expand the model range. Yes yes yes they do look ugly, but are actually two very good automobiles. So no need to kill something that can just be fixed with a little design change.

Narco
September 1, 2009 9:18 PM
Agree 100%.

Fishes,

Narco.

hata0101
September 1, 2009 10:39 PM
nah, that can't be true. for business stand point, they're profit maker. it's a smoke screen, don't think it will be true.

e36mmm
September 1, 2009 6:32 PM
i approve as well. i saw the panamera for the first time yesterday. as a deep porsche fan i liked it but now i think if porsche gets more porschish like the old days before cayenne and panamera existed. it would be cooler but dont know if they would make more sales. As a badge it would be better to execute the two but sales wise i think they would decrease. I guess time will show.

eitanros
September 1, 2009 6:35 PM
Looks like Dr. Piech has got it right. foucusing on sports cars only took porsche to the legendary place it exsits today. you think porsche you think magic. expanding to common, plain niches would gain profits in the short term, but will be the start of the Porsche brand's descending. Good Decision!

awhk
September 1, 2009 6:41 PM
Yeah, Porsche are meant to be execlusive sports cars, not heavy weight SUV or sedans that can be seen everywhere on the road.

BemWee
September 1, 2009 6:50 PM
Absolutely great news! Panamera and Cayenne, a real image destroyers.

Max_Speed
September 1, 2009 6:55 PM
This is the best news I heard today! Thank you VW for getting those things of the roads.

ivanadrive
September 1, 2009 6:57 PM
killing off the Cayenne would be good, especially the diesel one. But I do like the Panamera. Perhaps make a new 928 on the same platform? If the entry level model is just a rebadged VW, what's the point.

termigni
September 1, 2009 7:05 PM
I love the GTS! Bad move VW!!

michelin901
September 1, 2009 11:35 PM
umm who drives a phaeton? i really mean who? someone who can afford a 5series, eclass but not a 7, sclass? plain tards. the cayenne and the panamera are well respected porsches! piesch is def not the sole decision maker. i have a feelings its audis idea only to promote their piece of crap quattros.

michelin901
September 1, 2009 11:43 PM
meant as a reply to benz and scratchy..

benz_man
September 1, 2009 7:06 PM
WTF? The VW group has room for absurdities like 1001HP Veyrons and push-rod powered Bentleys, but Porsche can only make stereotypical "sports cars". I should've realized how crazy Piech was when the Phaeton came out so over-engineered.

scratchy996
September 1, 2009 7:37 PM
over engineered ? wtf is that supposed to mean ? that car was supposed to show what VW can do. what the heck is the Veyron then , hyper engineered ? both were Piech's idea.


Edited by user on September 1, 2009 at 7:44 PM
benz_man
September 1, 2009 8:03 PM
Scratchy, thats my point. The Veyron was overkill, a halo-car to showcase VWs world class engineering abilities. The Phaeton was WAY too much, so much more than what was needed to fill the small opening left in VWs product portfolio. The original Phaeton should've been more along the lines of the loaded B6 Passat 3.6 4Motion, not the A8! Piech and his visions of grandeur...

scratchy996
September 1, 2009 8:57 PM
yes , but that was the whole point. what's the point in making an engineering showcase with something that's not out there ?

benz_man
September 2, 2009 4:27 PM
Scratchy, the Veyron was the showcase. The Phaeton was supposed to be profitable. Piech made a few poor decision's with the Phaeton program, and now, he's making more with Porsche.

die.bahnfahrer
September 1, 2009 7:07 PM
It is ridiculous to believe that Porsche will kill their "Cash Cow" Cayenne just because of Piech´s revenge.

gooniz
September 1, 2009 7:10 PM
VW wants to make money by selling boxter and 911 only!! no one cared about Porsche that much until the Cayenne showed up. As for the Panamera (I do hope they will kill it).

Iconic
September 1, 2009 7:30 PM
He's doing this out of spite obviously. As ugly as these cars may be, they (will) heavily bolster Porsche's profit margins. Stupid move.

scratchy996
September 1, 2009 7:40 PM
i'm all for turning the Panamera into a new 928 and killing the Cayenne if they make a new Carrera GT and a new 914. but how are they going to double sales if they kill the best selling vehicle ?

TheAlchemist
September 1, 2009 8:05 PM
F the people and their Cayennes. I can't stand them (SUVS or the people). Good move VW!

N20_Purge
September 1, 2009 8:05 PM
Yes, awesome move VW, now replace them with a 928 and a MX5 rivalling car.

Renegade
September 1, 2009 8:13 PM
And who do you think that it will pay more then double just because it will be a Porsche and not an MX-5.

dmanero
September 1, 2009 8:13 PM
as much as I agree the Porsche should concerntrate rather on sport cars than having their hands and a bit of everything, I don't agree with killing off the new Panamera. Porsche just spent a fortune on developing this car and before it's even hit the showroom floor and not knowing how it will sell they already want to kill it. such a waste

scratchy996
September 1, 2009 9:00 PM
it's only a rumor , nothing is confirmed , of course they won't kill the Cayenne and the Panamera.

Porsche_911_Fanatic
September 1, 2009 8:38 PM
Its definitely a bad move to kill off the Cayenne being that it is their money maker. If the case is to really put the company's in their respective markets, then the R8, Phaeton, and Continental GT should be axed too regardless of the money they make because none of these models are in their respective class. The Continental GT is not on any level of the previous Continental or Brooklands and could get away with being a high-end luxury Audi. The R8 could easily be badged as Porsche, I mean if you want to put them in their respective classes. And being that Porsche is an "exclusive high-end" sportscar company, it would be foolish to make an entry level priced around $30k. That's like Aston Martin coming out with a model that competes with Jaguar's XF.


Edited by user on September 1, 2009 at 8:42 PM
timdog595
September 1, 2009 8:47 PM
i totally agree, porsche needs to do what they're great at, and that's making pure sports cars. good move VW! BMW needs to follow too, they also need to stop making a little bit of everything and go back to wjat they were before they started making suv's. i know they're suv's are all one of the best in its class if not the best, but it just doesn't seem right. plus they're not making a lot of money for it anyway, at least not like they're trademark cars are. so do it BMW, or i'll stop buying ur cars!

chris25
September 1, 2009 8:53 PM
Although its a good move to kill the Panamera but not the Cayenne since that is a fastest suv & coolest one and finally they are bring back the Carrera GT since that was the best supercar ever made by Porsche.

CDspeed
September 1, 2009 9:48 PM
I've owned a Cayenne it was one of the best cars I've ever owned. And although I have see it in person first I'm looking forward to driving the Panamera. I don't think the rumor is true it sounds like an article that is meant to draw readers to whom ever wrote it.

wjaprep
September 1, 2009 9:53 PM
eh, Cayenne I kinda like a little... the Panamera.... not so much, it can go

contact_edward
September 1, 2009 10:02 PM
I agree that the Panamera should be turned into a new front-engine GT car. There's simply too much R&D built into this car. Technically and functionally speaking, it's a wonderful car. It would be simple to change it into a 2-door and be consistent with the "sports cars only" philosophy. My main concern is with motorsports. I'm a big Porshe motorsports fan. How will the VW/Porsche merger affect this? Will Porsche be allowed to build a prototype if it will compete against the R15?... Rumors are that Porsche wants a P1.

lurkness_monster
September 1, 2009 10:05 PM
caption for photo: "I'll just carry you home, I don't want to be seen in that thing"

catchmyshadow
September 1, 2009 10:07 PM
as scratchy said, it is only a rumor. i think the VW board will soon respond to it. if they are going ti kill the cayenne and panamera then it is because of piech, he wants to kill them to destroy Wiedeking´s work.

diadora001
September 2, 2009 12:10 AM
But why do they still have the Cayman?! So unnecessary...

miika
September 2, 2009 1:35 AM
No. They will drop it and make "new" Seat based on it. And it will be manufactured in Finland.

tootall
September 2, 2009 6:53 AM
They still have the Cayman, because they really need a mid engine car in their line up. Don't get me wrong I like the 911s, but I think if you were to transfer the heart of a GT2 into a Cayman shell, you'll have one hell of an automobile.

miika
September 2, 2009 1:20 AM
Porsche could have a new FWD entry level modell based on GOLF :)

911fnatic
September 2, 2009 2:13 AM
Agreed! Great stuff Piech!

car-o-bar
September 2, 2009 3:40 AM
I kinda agree with the proposal. Cayenne was a great success but not a true blood Porsche, after all it was developed on VW Toureg platform. Panamera however might be in the sports car groove, hard to say for sure right now, time will tell. 2016 is 7 years out.

Schizo0223
September 2, 2009 5:23 AM
Yeah who knows what will happen in 7 years? Besides, Porsche has spent time and money developing the new Cayenne, so atleast we will see that model in a year or two. The Panamera just came out, but I guess VW can scavange the developement made by Porsche and use it to build Bentley's and Audi's.

BTW...I hate to disagree with alot of folks here, but I really like the Cayenne. It's amazing what Porsche accomplished to turn an SUV into a driver's car.

I hated SUV's and preferred wagons...but after driving one I am hooked on the Cayenne...and if the interior of the new one has improved over the current one I will buy it for sure.

*So I guess Alchemist will hate me now.

theporscheguy
September 2, 2009 5:58 AM
Utterly rediculous. Could they be so one dimensional? Porsche has done a great thing by making products that even purists scoffed at only to buy and love them themselves. They want to focus on sports cars yet they don't want to allow a Porsche to embarass the audi r10? Sorry, already has happened. 2010 911 turbo anyone? It would be Piech killing an amazing brand that knows how to do everything right. "The Panamera is ugly" how many times have I heard this without anyone even seeing the car? Are you all British?? Seem to be the ones that scoff the most...still pissed about WWII? You kicked their asses! Stop whining Jeremy Clarkson! Put your jaguar xfshrwhatever against the panamera and say it is a sports sedan! Bah I say! Porsche, there is no substitute! You naysayers crack me up. Can't argue with facts, they are the little company that could. Imagine what would have happened if the economic downturn hadn't happened?? Dr. Weideking would have owned their asses! Amazing story, so close yet so far. VW is lucky.

sideskraper
September 2, 2009 6:19 AM
Won't deny the 911 Turbo is phenomenal. I'm sure the Panamera is too. But the Panamera is ugly as sin. I thought so from all the pictures and think so after seeing it in the flesh.

Weideking nearly pulled off the perfect financial maneuver. I was in awe and astonished at how elegant it was.

Unfortunately it all fell apart at the last hurdle. In the business world, you don't get prizes for almost doing something great. History will show him as the guy who threw Porsche away and let VW pick it up for a song. But I do thank him for making me huge amounts on my VW stock over 07/08 ;)


Edited by user on September 2, 2009 at 6:20 AM
sideskraper
September 2, 2009 6:01 AM
This is firstly a revenge killing on his cousins. But more importantly its smart. There are high end vehicles inside the VAG that fit the market segment of these two cars.

This is good for Porsche. With VW in charge they no longer have to rely on these two cars for cash flow and focus more on sports cars.

New Carrera GT. New super light / small sports car (That will capture HUGE market share and be massively profitable). And a re envisioning of the spread of the existing Boxster/Cayman and 911 range.

This is great news for Porsche and the engineers that work for them. They can get back to what they do best. Without having to build cars for the wives of American real estate developers.

mpower333
September 2, 2009 6:06 AM
OH SO THERE IS A GOD!!!! THANKS GOD!!!!

smohed
September 2, 2009 10:43 AM
ouch, that is hurt

Uptohere
September 2, 2009 7:38 PM
I half-applaud the move. I'll give Porsche credit for what they were able to do with the Cayenne, but possibly they foresee a diminished SUV market in 7 years time and the loss of this current cash-cow. The brand needs to be brought into greater focus which has me thinking there is a place for the Panamera in their line-up. But put some lip-stick on it.

vilivo
September 3, 2009 12:05 PM
look, piech knows a thing or 2 about business, I wanna see what he does with the Porsche brand- it IS his family heirloom so he SHOULD be able to REALLY uphold his grand-pops vision, while adding a VW-esque volume increase (they did it with Audi, Scoda, SEAT, Bentley, Lamborghini- just look at those companies, and the way Bentley and Lambo have become volume dominators in their respective fields, good things ARE coming. Hopefully they don't look like a R8 ;)

NardoW12
September 4, 2009 3:29 PM
Hey VW, how about you make a real sports car or put the Volkswagen W12 Coupe Concept into production?

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