Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Plants/Manufacturing, Porsche
It's official: Porsche Panamera to be built in Leipzig
Porsche announced that it will invest $153 million in its plant in Leipzig, Germany, in order to build the automaker's four-door Panamera coupe. The size of the plant will quadruple with the investment, and staffing will more than double, rising to 1,000 from 400. Porsche recently halted production of the Porsche Carrera GT supercar in Leipzig, but the Cayenne will continue to be manufactured in the city. The body work and paint for the Panamera will be completed at Volkswagen's plant in Hanover, Germany.
[Source: AFX News Limited via Forbes]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
iQuack 12:37PM (5/20/2006)
Too bad. Should be built in China to reduce cost;-).
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gbh 1:57PM (5/20/2006)
Another new car from Porsche with potential for greatness. As usual, that potential will be restricted by the factory, so as not to embarass those who keep buying 911s.
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Peter 3:44PM (5/20/2006)
Hey, Porsche tried to use the 928 to take over the 911's position in the 1980s when they realized that the 911 was moving in the direction of a GT instead of a pure sports car. The consumers wouldn't have it. Even though the 928 was capable, comfortable, and tractable (everything consumers wanted the 911 to be), it didn't have the 911 name.
So I don't blame Porsche for keeping the 911 as their halo car -- it makes good business sense for their sales and reputation.
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gbh 4:22PM (5/20/2006)
Peter,
Don't get me wrong. Just like H-D, if people keep buying stone axes and buggy whips, hey, capitalism is capitalism. You'll lose your ass to a guy with a Poulan and a 'Busa, but 'tis a semi-free country and all that.
My point is just that Porsche could easily make the 911 a proper rear-midengine car. This would improve handling immensely. (Don't believe me, continually trying to improve that inherently flawed design drives Porsche engineers nuts.) If rear-engine was useful, or even viable, it would be on every new Porsche. It isn't.
From the 914-6,928,etc., to now the Cayman - they will all remain underpowered so as not to point out the glaring flaws in the 911 relic. This is much akin to GM making sure that nothing makes the 'Vette look bad.
The sad part is, that the customer who buys or heritage/image or anything other than performance, can be easily manipulated into the new and better product. The extant performance customer will never leave. Bonus acquisition of new performance oriented customers from other brands.
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That One Person 1:25AM (5/21/2006)
If Porsche kills the 911, they kill themselves...its that simple...
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Rene Curry 4:05AM (5/21/2006)
Porsche fans will slam the car like they did the Cayenne, but the Panamera will sell! I bet there will be a waiting list for years.
Personally, I think it is the right direction for Porsche. Look out BMW!
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Stephen 2:54PM (5/22/2006)
gbh:
I've heard this argument several times on Autoblog comments, but it just doesn't seem to match reality. It'd be one thing if normal consumers kept buying this "stone axe" for its name or looks, but when racers keep buying it because it's the most successfull race car in history, I think the "stone axe" argument is hard to justify.
In sports car racing, private teams will buy whatever the best performing car in the class is. If the 911 is a horrible design, why do they keep buying the 911; not to mention winning with it.
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r moore 11:33AM (5/24/2006)
I have a panacea for all those who feel a compulsion to throw stones at the 911. Don't buy one! If you want a rear mid-engine and more power/pizzazz than a Boxster, you can satisfy your needs at Ferrari or Lamborghini.
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Frank 2:02PM (7/24/2006)
It's just foolish to say that the 911's design is poor... it has more race wins than any other sports car. Don't look at me, just the facts.
The 911 is a bargain of a sportscar, but don't let value imply lack of quality... Part of the beauty of a Porsche is that it does NOT use the 'exotic' materials that other automakers rely on -- they use intelligent engineering and create new ways to make lower-cost materials perform more efficiently than their 'exotic' counterparts.
The fact is, the 911 is superb in numerous ways. It is alive and well, not gathering dust. I challenge you to present an automobile that has more history of continued development and refinement, more successful racing credentials, and is developed by a manufacturer with more experience and innovation under its belt.
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