The repeatedly on-again-off-again smaller Porsche SUV is apparently back on again, at least if Ferdinand Piech has his way. And anyone that knows anything of the recent history of the Volkswagen Group and Porsche knows that what Piech wants, Piech almost invariably gets.
According to Germany's Handelsblatt, Piech is intent on adding a fifth model line to Porsche with an SUV below the Cayenne. In order for the program to be financially viable, the vehicle rumored to be dubbed the "Roxster" would need to share a platform with other vehicles in the VW Group. In this case it would probably be the Audi's B8 platform that underpins the Audi Q5, A4, and A5.
The risk that Porsche runs is the same one that General Motors faced for decades with product overlap. Can a Roxster be adequately differentiated from the Q5 to justify a higher price? Can Porsche avoid competing directly with its new corporate cousins at Audi? Porsche obviously wants to compete with the likes of the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Ben GLK, but the Q5 already fills that niche, so is another model necessary?
[Source: Handelsblatt]
According to Germany's Handelsblatt, Piech is intent on adding a fifth model line to Porsche with an SUV below the Cayenne. In order for the program to be financially viable, the vehicle rumored to be dubbed the "Roxster" would need to share a platform with other vehicles in the VW Group. In this case it would probably be the Audi's B8 platform that underpins the Audi Q5, A4, and A5.
The risk that Porsche runs is the same one that General Motors faced for decades with product overlap. Can a Roxster be adequately differentiated from the Q5 to justify a higher price? Can Porsche avoid competing directly with its new corporate cousins at Audi? Porsche obviously wants to compete with the likes of the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Ben GLK, but the Q5 already fills that niche, so is another model necessary?
[Source: Handelsblatt]
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