Porsche ‘baby Boxster’ delayed as CEO aims to preserve brand image

By Tim Beissmann | January 17th, 2012

Porsche looks set to delay the launch of its entry-level sports car as the company’s CEO fears it could dilute the brand’s image.

Porsche boss Matthias Mueller told German business newspaper Wirtschaftswoche his brand “probably [needed to] wait until the next generation of customers before the idea of a small roadster will work for Porsche”.

Production of the smaller sports car – dubbed the ‘baby Boxster’ by the industry – was plunged into further doubt last week when Volkswagen’s research and development chief admitted the group does not believe it can achieve baseline sales volumes with the joint-developed VW BlueSport, baby Boxster and the Audi ‘R4’.

Almost 12 months ago, Mueller said the German sports car manufacturer could introduce a spiritual successor to the Porsche 550 by 2014, although it now seems the compact convertible may not reach showrooms until later this decade at the earliest.

In the short term, Porsche is focusing its efforts on higher volume models like the Cajun compact SUV, which goes on sale in 2013. Mueller told Automotive News he expects Porsche to sell 50,000 Cajuns per year.

In 2011, Porsche sold a total of 118,867 vehicles, including 1343 in Australia. The only SUV currently in the line-up, the Cayenne, accounted for 60 per cent of local sales.

Skybreak

So a new mid-engined light-weight sports car will “dilute” the Porsche brand, but adding another SUV built on the same platform used by VW & Audi does not….?

Bulldust!

Anonymous

Exactly, I think the only thing they’re worried about would either it being too fast or too slow. Too fast and it would steal sales from the Boxster/Cayman. Too slow and it wouldn’t sell.

If they were truly concerned about their image as a sports car company a mid sized SUV doesn’t exactly fit the mould does it.
AndrewF

Actually I think their CEO is right – this car would be worse than the SUV for their image. SUV is obviously not a sport car, it is something completely different. If you don’t like it, you can ignore it. This on the other hand is a sport car, but a very mild one. Porsche does not need to be seen as producer of mildly sporty cars! Let VW build it if they want, it would fit in their line-up a lot better.

Anonymous

Who says it would be a “very mild” sports car ? It doesn’t have to be. It’s a light weight mid engined rear drive chassis. That’s about a good a DNA as you’ll get for a small roadster. But the problem is Porsche would either make it too good and take away from Boxster sales because it’s too good and too quick, or they’d water it down too much and no one would want it.

People said the exact same thing when they released the Boxster, that it was a poor mans 911. It wasn’t worthy of the Porsche Badge and it wouldn’t live up to the hype.

AndrewF

I agree it doesn’t have to be mild in principle, but as you said yourself, in reality it would have to be another step down from the Boxster, otherwise Porsche will compete with itself. And if they do take it down another notch, by then it will be only mildly sporty. Hence it is better for them to just leave it alone, which was my point.