Porsche planning smaller model powered by Audi TTS engine

BMW, Audi, Volvo, VW and now Porsche. It seems like all of the Luxury car brands a creating more entry level cars.

The market for "upscale" cars has been fueled by cheap money and leasing. With the changed economic climate, it's hard to see how the high-end brands will maintain previous sales levels. Throw in increased oil prices, now $3.00 a gallon, and rising, and the four cylinder BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche should all be back, just like they were in the fifties through the nineties.

It seems Porsche can be very greedy. Porsche doesn't like it when Audi tries to maximize the performance of the R8 (HP displacement) but can dip into the parent companies vast product line and pick what it wants for its purpose at the lower end. Even talk about this new model VW and Audi has slated for production, wanted to increase HP beyond 200, but Porsche cried the business case would have negative effects on the Boxster sales.

What's the point? I don't see it. Not a good business decision, because this will negatively dilute the brand.

Splendid news, the can call it the 'Gayster.'

Porsche roadster without its trademark boxer engine??

It's just sad.

I only don't know whether the fact that their most popular car now is a rebadged Volkswagen DIESEL SUV is even worse or not.

Trademark boxer engine ? A 911 with non boxer engine would be sacrilege, but over th years, Posrche has often offered other type of engine configuration, think about about the 924/944/968, the 928 and more recently the Carrera GT and the Cayenne. All inlines or V engines.

The economic climate has not been kind to car makers.Even Porsche is not immune. Unfortunately with their purchase of VW shares their debts are very large. Hopefully the Country of Qatar will come through and buy into to part of Porsche. Because of the market that Porsche is in they could go either up market or down market.While Porsche predicts in 20,000 a yr Panamera sales this will be a well over $100,000 car with options and models.If the volume does not equal it's projections they will be in trouble. The obvous solution is to go down market and make it up in volume.A Boxster at 35 grand would be an attractive proposition even with a 265 HP turbo 4. Performance will not be lost over the 6 cyliner 2.9 because the car will be lighter and have more torque. It will be up to Porsche to tune the intake and exaust.Further the gas mileage should be sensational as well as CO2 emmissions.

I think this is a very good move. The TTS motor is strong, Porsche was built on four cylinder engines, and the world is going to start viewing gas guzzling cars ever more harshly.