German Car Zone

Porsche may add a new compact SUV model to its lineup to compete with the impending flood of new premium mid-sized crossovers from the luxury automakers. In addition to the four-door Panamera, Porsche is rumored to be speeding up the development of the BMW X3 competitor by sharing components being developed for the upcoming Tiguan and Q5 SUVs from Volkswagen and Audi.

According to Germany’s AutoZeitung, the new Porsche model will also utilize the same drivetrains as its larger Cayenne sibling with both V6 and V8 powerplants expected to debut. Porsche’s CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has previously mentioned that he’d like to see further utilization of the new production facilities being set up to accommodate the Panamera, so it’s entirely possible that we’ll see Porsche build a new small SUV.

Porsche is close to losing whatever exclusivity and brand cachet it has left and the introduction of an even cheaper model than the Cayenne will only add the final nail in the coffin.

Remember when Porsche only made sportscars? It's hard to recall when its line-up has been growing with sport-sedans and sport-utes, but we're assured it wasn't all that long ago. Somebody needs to remind the herren in Stuttgart, though, because if the latest reports are to serve as any indicator, Porsche is drifting further into the mainstream and away from its erstwhile core purpose.
After the Panamera four-door hits the market, insiders are speculating that Porsche's next project will be to produce a baby brother for the Cayenne sport-ute. Positioned against the BMW X3, a baby Cayenne could potentially share components from the upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi Q5 to help keep development and production costs down, although it would be built in-house at the new plant Porsche has built for the Panamera. Power would be tipped to come courtesy of the Cayenne's V6 and V8 engines, though we wouldn't expect a turbo version.
A smaller version of the Cayenne would undoubtedly be one of the best performing mini-utes on the market, but is this just another answer to a question no one was asking?
[Source: AutoZeitung via Motor Authority]

Alex your thread was a repost and has been merged with the previous one.

Rockin' the Q5 - Audi CUV lends DNA to Porsche's Roxster

The Porsche with the coolest name, Roxster, is being scooped by German website Autobild. While we'd like a Roxster to come with a Matchless and a Tele, the actual vehicle will be a Cayenne Mini-Me, sadly having nothing to do with rock or roll. Well, maybe rocks, depending on its offroad chops.

The basis for the small CUV with the big name (and price) will be the upcoming Audi Q5. There's no word on what the powertrain will be, but there's a wide corporate pool of bits – the Q5 is based on elements of the A4 and A6. Conveniently enough, since the Q5 is reported to borrow liberally from the VW Touareg, the Roxster could complete the circle and share some engine and transmission choices with the bigger utes. We'll keep our fingers crossed for the Cayenne Turbo's insane nuclear-powered motor to wind up under the bonnet, but we think reality will have a V6 of some flavor working away under there.

Thanks for the tip, Christian!

[Source: Autoblog.com via German Car Blog]

Porsche too?.....

Sure, with Audi's resources they have great opportunity to expand their range, but what about market/Porsche fanatics reactions...?

Wold like to hear something from martinbo on this.

I seriously hope not...

Oh dear, if there's one car that Porsche doesn't need - it's a small soft-roader. Porsche fans lamented the advent of the Cayenne and many couldn't see the purpose of the car in the hitherto purist's line-up. Ultimately, the Cayenne earns some sort of reprieve by being monstrous and ostentatious: a car for the seriously well-heeled (and more than likely existing Porsche owners) that nevertheless created a new benchmark in SUV sporting dynamics.

The smaller Porsche soft-roader is, to my mind, grossly unnecessary and superfluous. The market is saturated already and even Porsche-badged brand cachet won't enhance a car's image in one of the most dowdy segments in the industry.

Think about it: just about every manufacturer out there has some form of "wannabe lifestyle" vehicle, ranging from BMW's X3 through to Land Rover's Freelander II, Toyota's RAV4, the yucky French/Japanese twins, the yuckier Korean twins and even down to Nissan's nice but all too fashion-conscious, Golf-baiting, Qashqai. Does Porsche really want to mix it in this dreary, stop-me-if-you've-seen-one-of-these-before, segment? The compact SUV segment has plenty of mass-market potential but it remains decidedly unprestigious.

At least the Cayenne has prestige going for it.

Porsche AG is in the same situation as BMW AG: independent & relatively small car maker (see my write-up in BMW F3 thread).

That means: higher costs of purchasing & higher R&D costs.

So, also Porsche is forced to increase revenues by expanding product portfolio. Since Porsche can barely expand upmarket (with some exceptions like Panamera etc), they are forced to introduce models below current range.

That's also why PAG bought a stake in VAG: to get synergies of some common purchasing and R&D projects.

Get over it, guys! The romantic times are over. No serious car maker can survive with only a few models in product portfolio.




PS: I've added a CGI from AutoBild to the Adreas' post.

This sounds like the way to go, similarly as the Audi A2 and Jaguar X-Type...

A report by AutoBild said yesterday that Porsche is working on a compact SUV based on the upcoming Audi Q5 which would be named "Roxster" , but today Porsche officials have denied that there are such plans.

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