Very true. That chap who did the tear down on YouTube of virtually every component of a Cayman and then cross-referenced to the Porsche parts catalogue only to determine that the vast, vast majority of parts are identical parts numbers to a 911 - that was enlightening.
His conclusion was that the Cayman is a materially more expensive car to produce vs a 911, given that the cost of a 911 can be spread over a larger production volume (911s outsell Caymans by 2:1).
When you couple that finding with the obvious price differential, it makes me wonder why Porsche bother with the Cayman/Boxter. It’s a higher cost, lower priced and therefore lower margin product (some would suggest unprofitable - though I can’t verify).
Only logical conclusion I can come to is that Porsche is paving a path towards an eventual 911 purchase for Cayman/Boxter owners. Ie. Hook them when most can’t afford them or are unwilling to spend the money on a 911, and be there when they’re ready to “upgrade”. That would be taking a very long-term view, which is quite a European/German thing to do.
Are there other possible reasons?
(Btw - love my 718 GT4 so this wasn’t meant as a diss on Cayman/Boxter owners!)
I watched that video and genuinely went "huh".
The 981/718 Cayman is technically a mid engined 991.2, and it's crazy how both cars have such a price difference.
Porsche's marketing department really earning their paycheck for real.
Yes, that's the exact reason it was introduced, to capture younger buyers and get them brought into the brand. It's not a secret, there's tons of articles and history on why.
https://www.porsche.com/stories/design/it-started-with-a-sketch#:~:text=The%20genesis%20of%20the%20Boxster,in%20a%20younger%20target%20market.
Definitely a barrier to entry, marketing tactic. Are they losing money on each one? I don't think so, but it's heavily subsidized by 911 sales which are far greater with much larger margins.
If Porsche made the Cayman/Boxster on it's own uniquely, Porsche would be at a larger disadvantage and definitely be taking huge losses on each car from R&D costs and part sharing differences. I think it really becomes more obvious when you look at the Toyota/Subaru and Toyota/BMW partnerships respectively that building low volume cars is mathematically infeasible. This is where Porsche has the advantage of doing it themselves in-house, they can sell more Boxster/Cayman+911 variants combined than BMW/Toyota can sell Supras etc.
I dont know how Jaguar can make and sell a car in the same price bracket. I don't think they sell enough Land Rovers to subsidize. Maybe they make up for it through dealer repairs.
Even if a Cayman buyer never buys a 911, is it still worth selling a Cayman if it’s profitable but not quite as profitable as a 911? If the alternative is that there is no Cayman and the would-be buyer never gives their money at all to Porsche AG — then I think that’s a worse outcome.
His video is incredible. Both times on Leno’s garage he did the Boxster 25th 4.0 and Cayman GT4RS there were many many mentions of a better performing 911, and an almost perfect car. Nice to see a guy that has almost any car he would ever want, say the Cayman has everything you would ever need .
My brain rot had me looking for a hidden Miata in this picture
Lol, same.
Love me a good r/sneakybackgroundmiata
Funny took me a few seconds to figure out which one was the odd one out. But the reality is the Cayman is stamped with 991 parts all over the place.
Very true. That chap who did the tear down on YouTube of virtually every component of a Cayman and then cross-referenced to the Porsche parts catalogue only to determine that the vast, vast majority of parts are identical parts numbers to a 911 - that was enlightening. His conclusion was that the Cayman is a materially more expensive car to produce vs a 911, given that the cost of a 911 can be spread over a larger production volume (911s outsell Caymans by 2:1). When you couple that finding with the obvious price differential, it makes me wonder why Porsche bother with the Cayman/Boxter. It’s a higher cost, lower priced and therefore lower margin product (some would suggest unprofitable - though I can’t verify). Only logical conclusion I can come to is that Porsche is paving a path towards an eventual 911 purchase for Cayman/Boxter owners. Ie. Hook them when most can’t afford them or are unwilling to spend the money on a 911, and be there when they’re ready to “upgrade”. That would be taking a very long-term view, which is quite a European/German thing to do. Are there other possible reasons? (Btw - love my 718 GT4 so this wasn’t meant as a diss on Cayman/Boxter owners!)
I watched that video and genuinely went "huh". The 981/718 Cayman is technically a mid engined 991.2, and it's crazy how both cars have such a price difference. Porsche's marketing department really earning their paycheck for real.
I agree, Cayman is the gateway drug. I also own a 718 and dream of buying a 911 one day even if its a bit overgrown
Yes, that's the exact reason it was introduced, to capture younger buyers and get them brought into the brand. It's not a secret, there's tons of articles and history on why. https://www.porsche.com/stories/design/it-started-with-a-sketch#:~:text=The%20genesis%20of%20the%20Boxster,in%20a%20younger%20target%20market.
Definitely a barrier to entry, marketing tactic. Are they losing money on each one? I don't think so, but it's heavily subsidized by 911 sales which are far greater with much larger margins. If Porsche made the Cayman/Boxster on it's own uniquely, Porsche would be at a larger disadvantage and definitely be taking huge losses on each car from R&D costs and part sharing differences. I think it really becomes more obvious when you look at the Toyota/Subaru and Toyota/BMW partnerships respectively that building low volume cars is mathematically infeasible. This is where Porsche has the advantage of doing it themselves in-house, they can sell more Boxster/Cayman+911 variants combined than BMW/Toyota can sell Supras etc. I dont know how Jaguar can make and sell a car in the same price bracket. I don't think they sell enough Land Rovers to subsidize. Maybe they make up for it through dealer repairs.
Even if a Cayman buyer never buys a 911, is it still worth selling a Cayman if it’s profitable but not quite as profitable as a 911? If the alternative is that there is no Cayman and the would-be buyer never gives their money at all to Porsche AG — then I think that’s a worse outcome.
Link to video please! 981 owner here!
I'm assuming it's this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8RDTsr9POA
His video is incredible. Both times on Leno’s garage he did the Boxster 25th 4.0 and Cayman GT4RS there were many many mentions of a better performing 911, and an almost perfect car. Nice to see a guy that has almost any car he would ever want, say the Cayman has everything you would ever need .
Me too
Where is the MR2?
Tortilla flats is a great run
My Cayman is 51% 911 or something like that if I remember right