Is PORSCHE making a mistake in not fully exploiting the Cayman...?

Question

In testing, when they were done with the Cayman, the engineers at Porsche found they had a better car than the 911...

Is the factory making a mistake in keeping the Cayman sort of ham-strung? I own a 83' 911, which I love, but the new Cayman is 21st Century Porsche, par excellence.
Porsche sold the 928 before, the Carrera GT, and soon the Panamerica...

Why hold back?

Answer 1

I hear what you're saying, but no, they are not making a mistake. To beef up the Cayman would be to make a statement about the 997, and Porsche has learned to never again try to kill the 911 (in whatever guise) . There are plenty of companies out there maximizing the Cayman in the aftermarket, including Farnbacher Loles; and for that niche market, they are doing great things. But Porsche wants the Cayman to fill the price point that it currently does. Even though it will already give a base Carrera a run for its money, there will always be 911 buyers, either for the prestige or the rear-engine experience; however what you don't want to do is put another car in direct competition with it because one of them then becomes expendable -- in this case probably the fantastic Cayman S (why buy it if you can get an '07 997 for the same price?). The Panamera, from what I hear, is going to be the new 928, priced up in the stratosphere even in base form (I've heard estimates ranging from $125-175K), so it will not eat into 997 sales, either.

All that said, Boxster/Cayman sales are slumping of late, and there are a lot more of them sitting on the lot than there are 997s. In fact, Boxster/Cayman sales tumbled 52 percent year-to-year in March. Sales trends are expressed in "days' supply" with industry ideal being 60 days. As of January 1, Porsche days' supplies were at 64 for Boxster, 84 for Cayman, 53 for 911 and 53 for Cayenne.

Answer 2

Fully exploiting in what way? Are you saying they should be entering it in motorsports or selling it with a more powerful engine? Or something else entirely.

The Cayman is a great car, and there is no doubt that it represents on of the stiffest and best balanced chasis anywhere on the market today. The Cayman S especially is an enticing package, and makes for one very quick ride around most tracks.

But fully exploiting the car? As I suggested, there are two possible meanings I can take from what you've asked, and I am not sure which you mean or if it's something else entirely.

On the first point: The Cayman would make a legitimiate motorsports entry. However, it would be difficult to be competitive with it right away - which would be the case of any new car. The GT3 has been under development in one for or another for about 10 years now, and is among the best of the GT Class race cars available. The Cup Car represent an extremely quick and inexpensive car for many racers, while the RSR is still competitive at the higher levels of GT Class competition (though clearly, a 997 based update is needed here). The time and cost to develop the Cayman to a similar level would come with no guarantee of success, but would cost Porsche greatly in terms of development cost and lost sales (as many teams would go elsewhere until the new offering was competitive, which at best would be about 2 years).

As for the later, the fact is that the Carrera name is recognized by many as "Porsche." It accounts for the bulk of Porsche's sales. And based on the experience of trying to replace the 911 with the 928 in the past, clearly Porsche would have some reservations. Porsche has looked at making the 911 mid-engined over the years, or moving to an 8 cylinder engine, or even replaceing it with something else entirely! At the end of the day though, there are a mass of consumers that are willing to pay for a rear engined sports car with a flat 6. And they will pay alot for it!

At present it would not be in Porsche's best interest to change their marketing strategy as they are being very successful. If people stop buying Carreras because they are not mid-engined, and also stop buying Cayman's because they don't have enough power, then you will see a quick and decisive change in Porsche's offerings. Until then, expect that things will continue as they are now.

Answer 3

Tony is right. You cant sell a better car for cheaper. Nobody would be dumb enough to buy the more expensive one. Maybe when a new 911 comes out that is better they will also increase the Caymans abilities. The 911 problem is that its a rear engine rear drive car. You dont want too much weigh on either end in an ideal situation.

Answer 4

FLAGSHIP 911! Can't have a car that's cheaper and overall better than your flagship model. Same thing with the new Altima being better, bigger, more powerful, AND cheaper than Nissan's flagship Maxima. BAD IDEA!