Well, none of them are really surviving on their own.
All of them were going under before they were brought out and kept afloat and nursed back by sugar daddies. Porsche, also would have gone under, but they bootstrapped themselves with the Boxster. A lot of 'purists' also bemoaned that car.

I am not saying I like the idea of a 3T Porsche with a borrowed oil burner, but neither do I profess to know how to run a car company, let alone the largest independent sports car maker.

So, after 50 years another diesel powered Porsche is coming ...

This was the first one:

Interesting development. I too would be against it, but of course we aren't Porsche board members. Their new sedan should be all the mainstream thats needed for now.

M

Didn't the big boss say: "The automotive pleasure starts at 5000 rpm" ?

I mean the Panamera! it'll for sure get some diesels alongside hybrids.

Yes I remember Wiedeking saying something like "the driving pleasure begins at 4500rpm, this is where the diesel ends..."

Then yes, Porsche does want to be seen as audi. Because Cayenne diesel is a go no matter what anyone says. In time, even the Panamera will be diesel.

Look chaps, I'm no fan of diesels. I too like all of you enthusiasts believe that performance motoring nirvana is dependant on a willing, rev-happy engine coupled with a lightweight, compact, low CofG concept. SUVs don't fit this bill. 911s and Boxsters and Caymans do.

But that didn't stop Porsche from pulling off one of the best SUV success stories of our time. Call it ugly, call it impure or call it pointless; the Cayenne nevertheless manages to occupy the forecourts of many a wealthy customer. It's a Porsche for families. Dad can have the GT2. Cayennes, as ugly as they may be, still have immense brand cachet and street presence and for this reason affluent customers in the market for a prestige SUV rather than a luxury saloon flock to Porsche showrooms. A powerful, torquey diesel Cayenne with the right vital statistics will be as justifiable as the current narrow angle V6-engined 3.6 litre.

The V6 Cayenne is a shame, too. And the diesel Cayenne is an infamy. Porsche was a company that was all about passion, competition, emotion.
Now that the future is safe with VAG, why not going this way again and forgetting the Cayenne?

Why not polishing the image, instead of mocking the name by making a (weak) diesel that doesn't rev, doesn't sound right, doesn't feel sporty, in one word doesn't fit Porsche by any mean? Why turning an empassionating company into another luxury maker who forgets his history?

We already have BMW (and somehow Audi too) as sporty-luxury, but Porsche is unique as a German true sportcar company. Why putting it down?
An innovative hybrid, why not, as it can feel and sound sporty too, but not a diesel.

I doubt buyers will mind having a diesel engine to choose from when they're buying a Cayenne. Let's not forget what percentage of Porsche buyers actually gives a crap about the sportyness of the car itself, it's bought for the sake of having a Porsche, a car with a bit exclusive price tag. Cayenne is a fine example of that. On the other hand, like said a heavy car like that might just be better run with a engine that has the torque to move it. Also Cayenne has more sitable seats than the other cars in Porsche's lineup which suits a diesel engines better. This is a daily driver.