Different Perspectives
Porsche – for many, the word conjures up an icon and unmistakable coupe with a rear mounted flat 6 engine and bags of history. For a new generation, this image and the whole concept could well be changing. Our kids have no idea how they could live in a world without mobile phones, so are we arriving at a time when people don’t think of the iconic coupe when they see the Porsche brand?
Look on any facebook, blog or repair shop website and you’ll see beautiful images of all sorts of coupes from air cooled classics to monstrous GT3 RS coupes. We’re also a victim of this thinking – that’s Porsche, right?
Not Any More – 40,000 People Think SUV
Just last year in the US, more than 40,000 people bought a new Porsche car that has 4 doors! More than 22,000 Macan and 19,000 Cayenne vehicles were sold versus just over 9000 911s and 3800 718 coupes. In fact, sales overall declined by 4000 vehicles with the exception of the Cayenne that rescued the numbers.
“I’m taking the Porsche out for a ride” for 40,000 new owners now means setting sail with a 4 door SUV. This trend has been evident since the launch of the Cayenne, but now it seems to have grown a momentum all of its own. Even the much anticipated futuristic Taycan is a 4-door car!
The Boxster or Cayman chassis used to roll in the 10,000 cars per annum category. Sales of the superb 718 last year declined by 26% to just over 3800 cars! In a market the size of the US, can you really sustain chassis sales of that low volume? That might lead you to rush out and buy one because in years to come they may well be very rare!
Time For A Change?
If you’re still hankering after the rotary dial phone or that huge Nokia portable brick or dare we say, the air-cooled flat six coupe, it might be time to take a different perspective. For many, Porsche now means a quick and sporty SUV you can throw the kids in the back of and zip out to the store. How do these owners get taken care of in a world dedicated to the coupe, track days and tinkering with the Mezger?
We’re advising our consulting clients and repair shop owners to rethink how they approach this new Porsche market. Maybe we should all start thinking of the brand in a different way?