Porsche plots 8th and 9th model lines to follow Macan SUV
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STUTTGART -- Porsche is deciding whether to add a second supercar and a BMW 5-series rivaling sedan to create an eighth and ninth model line.
A company source told Automobilwoche, a German sibling publication of Automotive News Europe that the VW-controlled firm is considering whether to build Project 960, a Ferrari-fighting, two-seat, mid-engine coupe with a V8 biturbo and more than 600hp.
Also in discussion is a smaller version of the Panamera sedan, known internally as the Pajun.
The sixth model line will be the 918 Spyder, due to launch in September 2013. According to Porsche, the plug-in hybrid supercar combines a 4.6-liter V8 engine with twin electric motors to give 770hp but with fuel consumption of 3 liters per 100 km.
The seventh is the Macan compact SUV. It was developed under the working name Cajun and starts production in 2014.
But Project 551, a small roadster, has been postponed. Its debut was envisioned for 2014. "It may take another generation of customers before a small roadster fits in with Porsche," CEO Matthias Mueller said.
A redesigned Boxster roadster was unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March, while the new Cayman hardtop version will follow at the Los Angeles auto show in November.
Porsche's expansion started in the mid-1990s when it faced what the company has described as a "threatening crisis". Executives decided that its lineup needed more than the venerable 911, and the Boxster arrived in 1996, followed by the Cayenne SUV, the Cayman and most recently the Panamera sport sedan.
Under its Strategy 2018 plan Porsche aims to sell 200,000 cars a year by 2018. Last year company sold 117,000, a rise of 18 percent on 2010 figures.
You can reach Michael Specht at autonews@crain.com.
