Porsche Says Enough Horsepower Wars—500 Is Ample
It seems that Porsche is calling for an end to the never-ending horsepower war, stating that continuous increases are unsustainable in the interest of daily driver comforts. Does that mean that companies should save their main muscle flexing for the track? Porsche GT-car leader Andreas Preuninger shared in an interview that “I’m not a believer in this horsepower monster, up, up, up, more, more, more. For my personal tastes, around 500 horsepower is enough, because 700-800 horsepower calls for bigger brakes, sturdier suspension. It gets heavier and heavier logically.”
Porsche Objects to Aston Martin GT3 Name–Legally
It is a challenging business to name a vehicle, as Aston Martin and many others have learned the hard way over the years. Porsche has taken a legal stand against Aston Martin due to the name of their recent offering, the Aston Martin GT3. Porsche is arguing that the GT3 label belongs to them and that Aston Martin has no rights to tack it onto their Vantage. The confusion continues because the FIA GT3 racing category has existed for years.
Porsche took a legal stand against Aston Martin for using the GT3 nameplate.
Porsche Plans to Remain Exclusive Even as Demand Rises
Luxury automaker Porsche plans to remain an exclusive brand, even as demand for its products continues to rise. This is a hot issue in the industry, as those with the funds and desire can be shot down when attempting to purchase because the brand only produces a certain amount annually, sometimes with special restrictions to the purchasers.
Ferrari is known for maintaining a similar approach, favoring the exclusive nature of its beast to mass production. After all, if many people were rolling around in an exotic sports car like a Ferrari or a Porsche, the special factor would begin to dissipate and it would be as exciting to see as a Ford Focus on the streets. Porsche is not completely set on all of its offerings staying exclusive, however, as is seen by burgeoning sales of the Cayenne and Macan SUV units and perhaps its more modestly priced underlings. But for the foreseeable future, the top-of-the-line Porsche sports cars will remain quite out of reach for just anyone.
Each Porsche Sold Nets Bigger Profit for VW than Lamborghini
For those curious about which brands reap the most profit for the enormous being that is VW Group, it is not Lamborghini or Bentley. For every Porsche exotic sports car sold, VW nets a killer $23k profit. Not too shabby, eh?
The news was revealed via Volkswagen Group’s 2013 financial report, showing that Porsche is enjoying an operating margin of a fat 18 percent. Close behind Porsche’s sales success was Bentley followed by Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini). This is all good news for the VW Group, which loses millions on each Bugatti Veyron sale. It was recently estimated that they lose approximately $6 million on each Veyron model sold. That certainly sounds painful considering that the Bugatti Veyron sells for $1 million and up. Now we can get a better grasp on why so many “Special edition Bugatti Veyron” models continue to be made and sold for astronomical amounts.