Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsuo111
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Those BMWs, which Lutz was influential in bringing to market, were sports cars with an extra seat, had agile handling, were quick without being brutally fast, well-built, elegant and athletic in appearance, and were NOT purchased for social status because you only knew about BMW if you were a car guy or lady.
Porsche seems to have evolved with the times, rising to the challenge of a changing market, technology, and regulatory climate. Porsche still engineers some of the most respected sports cars on the planet. BMW? Sort of luxury, sort of faux sporty, sort of... what?
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Couple of comments...
1. BMW still builds cars like you describe... agile, athletic, etc. I can name several.
2. If you think the majority of Porsche buyers aren't buying for the badge status then you are nuts
Porsche is also now building 4 cylinder turbos which are not getting universal praise like previous generation cars. They are buildings SUV's... yes, nice ones but that is clearly a move to the mass market. Porsche isn't perfect either. The still build some amazing cars (and arguably the widest range of awesomeness) and they also charge a huge premium for those cars which is why they can do it... partly because some enthusiasts who value the experience are willing to pay the price but largely to affluent buyers (doctors, lawyers, business owners, etc) who just love the idea of owning a Porsche. Social status buying at its best. Talk to a Porsche dealer who is honest and they will tell you the SUV's elevated the company because they became the volume purchase and allowed the company to achieve better economies of scale. Porsche will evolve more and more into the mass market too over time...