Porsche’s modesty and distance

Amid the wave of new cars in Geneva and various news every day, the 2020 Porsche Panamera 10th Anniversary Edition was quietly released. Without large-scale publicity, people have long been accustomed to the existence of Panamera and no longer There is too much attention.

But 10 years ago, the first Panamera was officially released. At that time, it attracted overwhelming comments, or one-sided negative comments. Most people thought the catfish shape was too ugly, and the four-wheel drive design was too ugly. The launch of the door coupe once again proves that Porsche gives up style for the sake of money.

After the Cayenne, this sports car family’s crazy money-making behavior led to dissatisfaction among car fans. They felt that the new cars launched by Porsche became more and more soulless. The people who bought these cars were purely wealthy people who did not understand the history, culture and The connotation is just a symbol.

No one is optimistic about Porsche's behavior and future of trampling on its brand power.

At that time, Porsche was only equal to the 911, a two-door rear-wheel drive, compact in size, light in weight, focusing on the driving pleasure of communication between people and cars, and equipped with the iconic grunt of the horizontally opposed engine.

The emergence of Panamera is very different from the image of Porsche. It is a four-door front-wheel drive, full-size luxury car, weighing at least 1.8 tons, using a variety of high-tech and high-grade leather, and the engine adopts V6 or V8.

No matter from any angle, whether it is appearance, interior, or mechanical parts, Panamera was considered a "very un-Porsche" Porsche back then. The only thing that made it relevant was the logo and expensive options.

In the eyes of consumers, especially the emerging wealthy class in the Middle East and China, the so-called "New Money", Panamera balances appearance and practicality very well. It not only bought a million-dollar Porsche, Two people can sit comfortably in the back.

Is the glorious past important to this group of people?

Instead of understanding through intangible stories and pictures, it is better to experience a product you need and understand the entire brand, so that you can empathize with it.

In fact, this is also a confirmation of a social phenomenon. It is rare for mankind to usher in an era of relative peace, which has brought stable development and opportunities in many aspects. For this reason, batches of New Money have appeared.

New Money does not need to deal with Old Money, nor does it need to make money according to Old Money's methods, so why should it follow their practices and so-called "taste".

So you don’t have to buy a 911 to buy a Porsche. The Panamera is very suitable as New Money’s first Porsche.

Facts have proved that in the ten years since the advent of Panamera and the second decade of Porsche entering China, sales and brand power have not declined at all. On the contrary, the two profit cows of Cayenne and Panamera have helped Porsche get out of the predicament and become one of the most popular brands in China. A learning benchmark for luxury brands.

In 2019, Porsche achieved 8% growth in China, with sales reaching 86,752 vehicles. China has become the world's largest single market for five consecutive years, accounting for 30% of the market, helping Porsche break through the 280,000 vehicle mark.

Ten years is a short period of time, accounting for a fraction of a life, but a long period of time is only a blink of an eye. The Panamera is undoubtedly one of the most representative models of the 21st century.

Convince others with results

Looking back on these lucrative ten years, Stuttgart people have never stopped being sophisticated, which is why Porsche has always maintained its brand power. Important reasons.

They invest the money they earn into research and development without hesitation. For example, the 918 Spyder, the successor to the Carrera GT, was released in 2013, which represents the results of Porsche's exploration of the plug-in hybrid field, and the Ferrari Laferrari and McLaren. Lun P1*** is called the "Three Gods Car".

The 918 Spyder is equipped with a 4.6L V8 engine, with a motor on each front and rear axle, with a total output of 890 horsepower and 1280 Nm. It broke multiple acceleration and braking records in tests by foreign media.

In September 2013, a 918 Spyder equipped with the "Weissach Package" lightweight kit set a time of 6 minutes and 57 seconds at the Nürburgring, setting the fastest mass-produced car that year. This is the first time a production car has crossed the 7-minute mark at the Nürburgring.

In addition, starting from mid-2011, Porsche began to prepare for its return to Le Mans. After three years of research and development and polishing, the endurance race car 919 Hybrid made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014. Participate in competitions.

In the three years of service from 2014 to 2017, except for the first year when he first arrived, Porsche won Le Mans and the annual championship in the other three years. Porsche was so domineering at Le Mans, either not playing or playing. Create a dynasty.

Actually, I don’t like the 919 Hybrid very much. I even hate it. Why is it so strong? It was so strong that the Toyota TS050 didn’t win the championship for a long time. It wasn’t until Porsche withdrew that it finally won its first championship.

In the past few years, I stayed up late to watch Toyota vs. Porsche. As soon as I saw the high speed and stability of the 919? And disgust, but when leaving the 919 Hybrid, it turned into an unspeakable feeling - Porsche, I really belong to you.

Racing is such a money-burning sport. Porsche has made a lot of money from civilian cars. It has launched cheaper SUV Macan and 2.0T 718, which have been criticized a lot, and sales and profits are good.

The evolution of 911 was paved with money

It is said that Mazda makes money to develop rotors, this formula also applies to Porsche. The latter makes money by developing fun and performance. These two things will always be reserved for the totem 911, and it must be the GT series.

Whether a car is fun to drive or not depends on whether the Nürburgring appears frequently. This is a paradise for driving enthusiasts. All recognized driving machines are frequent visitors here.

The 911 GT3/GT3 RS is the most photographed of all supercars. The ultimate pursuit of many keen drivers is either a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, or a GT3.

The essence of GT3 lies in its lightweight and 9,000-rpm self-priming engine. The original 996 GT3 did not even have sound insulation, rear seats, speakers, sunroofs and air conditioning. The research and development goal was to create a street racing car.

Perhaps turbos are also spreading in today’s supercar world, with faster and higher acceleration and top speed, but with the tuning of the Porsche team, the GT3 RS can also run 6 times at the Nürburgring. The time of 56.4 minutes is faster than the flagship 918 Spyder.

If it’s even more extreme, Porsche stuffed the Turbo S engine into the GT3 RS, with 700 horsepower and 750 Nm to push the 1,470 kilogram body. This is the “widow maker” GT2 RS. .

GT2?RS has always been the most powerful one in the 911 series, but it has been relatively low-key in previous generations. This generation of 991 is not hidden, and is equipped with the largest air intake, rear wing and spoiler. Board, make it clear that you are not a good person.

Such a result was put on the track. The GT2?RS broke the Nurburgring record in 2017, improving the time to 6 minutes, 47 seconds and 25 seconds, surpassing Lamborghini and becoming the fastest production car.

Although less than a year later, Manniu won the championship again with the SVJ with 770 horsepower and four-wheel drive, the GT2?RS did not exert its full strength. The Manthey-Racing team teamed up with Porsche to only do some things to target the Nürburgring. The adjustment further shortened the lap time to 6 minutes 40 seconds 3, nearly five seconds faster than the SVJ.

Don’t look at Porsche making money with one hand, but it is also not idle with the other hand. It continues to bring exciting works to car fans, lowering the threshold while improving product power and brand power. In the final analysis, Porsche has this technology and strength.

Of course, they also know how to launch some financial products to better maintain their image in the minds of high-end consumers. Compared to a second or two faster, these people focus on the appreciation potential and special attributes of a car. .

For example, the 2016 911 R is based on the GT3 RS. The exaggerated aerodynamic kit is removed, and there are no holes in the front and rear wheel arches. The whole car has a harmonious and simple beauty. The air conditioning and stereo are removed from the interior, and most importantly, a 6-speed manual transmission is used.

When Porsche launched this generation of GT3, it said that it would no longer provide manual transmission. The 911?R, which is limited to 991 units, is equivalent to the swan song of pure driving pleasure in the 911 series, which means that it will no longer be available to buy, and things are rare. Being expensive means there is room for appreciation.

The limited-edition toys from these major manufacturers are very popular in the secondary market. Manual transmissions are more valuable than automatic transmissions. The simpler and purer they are, the more valuable they are. As a result, 911?R was sold out quickly, starting from the launch price of 184,900. The US dollar has been speculated all the way to 500,00 US dollars.

The entry-level product is always a Porsche

Furthermore, Porsche’s cash cow maintains its consistent standards and is not shoddily manufactured just to make money. The Macan, 718, Panamera and Cayenne are still in the same class. It has a strong sporty feel and is exciting to drive. No wonder the criticism has decreased significantly in recent years.

It was also because of how badly Porsche was scolded at the beginning of this decade, and how profitable it was later, that a number of luxury brands realized the importance of New Money, and overturned their centuries-old image one after another. Even the proud Ferrari is no exception. The first SUV is about to be released.

However, Porsche's operation could not be imitated by others. When Fiat saw that an SUV and a sedan could revive the brand, it quickly copied it and made the same plan for Maserati. Ghibli and Levante came out one after another.

At first, Maserati ushered in a wave of growth with the brand power of the Trident. But apart from its reputation, it had no technology of its own. It relied entirely on Ferrari for research and development, and its models were not updated all year round. Many people would rather buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Not considering the president led to the continued decline in the brand power of the "Queen of Sports Cars", and in the end no one paid the bill.

In addition to its solid product strength and groundedness, Porsche also understands the importance of the Chinese market. As early as 2010, it began to hold ice and snow test drives, held the Asian Porsche Carrera Cup, and conducted SUV, The global or Asian premiere of a car is to establish a brand culture and tightly bind consumers together.

The next decade

In this way, Panamera ushered in its second generation, and Porsche went through a magnificent decade.

Ten years ago, Porsche’s market performance was unsatisfactory, as well as the huge loans it owed from banks to acquire Volkswagen, and the debt problems that emerged after the acquisition plan collapsed. Funds could not be recycled normally, and it once faced bankruptcy.

To be honest, who doesn’t like a distinctive brand that has a unique persistence and brings more distinctive choices to consumers.

But in the face of capital, it is difficult for some traditions to maintain the operation of car companies. What shareholders want is visible profits and prospects. When the development of the brand is problematic, what else should not be tried.

There is such a brand that is keenly aware of market changes, actively changes its strategy and then successfully reverses the situation. It was originally a textbook case of survival in a desperate situation, but it has been questioned against its original intention.

Having to wait until the brand goes bankrupt, many people begin to regret the persistence of this brand throughout their lives. They feel that it is the conscience of the industry, but it is a pity that it is gone and finally pushed to the altar.

Fortunately, the Panamera, which was launched in 2010, once again saved Porsche. Otherwise, there would be no 911 that breaks records today. Interestingly, the last time the savior was launched, it was also the Cayenne and the entry-level product Boxster/Cayman, which were launched against all odds.

However, this time Porsche took advantage of the money it made every year and quickly developed and launched the Taycan, a pure electric vehicle that caters to the next wave of trends. It turned from passive to active and was well prepared to welcome the arrival of the next decade.

As long as Porsche continues to bring exciting new cars and cutting-edge technologies, no matter how it makes money, it will still be Porsche.

According to a recent interview on the Porsche official website, they are discussing the possibility of resurrecting the 914. The new car is positioned lower than the 718 and is a return to basics, "almost no electronic equipment, everything is a pure car of mechanics" ".

You must know that the 914, which was born 50 years ago, is a mid-mounted rear-drive sports car in cooperation with Volkswagen. It is also the cheapest model Porsche launched in order to increase sales. It is equipped with Volkswagen's 1.7L, 1.8L and 2.0L engines. It takes a long 15 seconds to break 100.

As a result, the 914 still brings driving pleasure to many people. In 7 years, it has sold 110,000 units a year. If the new generation 914 is also a fun toy, it is cheap and runs slower What does it matter?

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This article is from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.