REPORTS OF A more affordable entry-level Porsche have surfaced more than a few times this year, focusing mostly on speculation that Porsche is considering a Speedster version of Volkswagen’s Bluesport concept.
Now, following recent reported comments from Porsche Development Head Wolfgang Duerheimer, the odds are firming that the sportscar manufacturer is working on a model below the current entry-level Boxster.
Earlier this year, Porsche’s Executive Vice-President for Sales and Marketing, Klaus Berning, said that plans for a fifth model line at Porsche had been put on hold.
“Another model line is not something we are concentrating on at the moment,” said Berning. “We may start looking at that after the launch of the Panamera but my gut feeling is that we do not need one,” Mr Berning said in June.
However, speaking with German magazine Automobilwoche this week, Development Head Duerheimer said that offering a significantly cheaper model is now a top priority for the German carmaker.
Recently bought out by Volkswagen after a failed attempt at its own Volkswagen takeover, Porsche is facing tough times following a 24 percent sales slump in the financial year to July 31.
Closer ties with the world’s second biggest carmaker will give Porsche greater opportunities to reduce costs. Having increased access to Volkswagen’s parts bin may mean that a Bluesport-based Speedster will emerge as the likely candidate for the new, cheaper Porsche.
