Where the BMW X6 attracted ridicule when it was launched 12 years ago, the Cayenne Coupe feels right for the market
In many regards Porsche has been slow to the coupe SUV market – after all, BMW has been there for more than a decade with the X6.
But perhaps – as so often – Porsche’s timing with the launch of the Cayenne Coupe is spot on. Where early movers attracted ridicule, Porsche arrives as sales in the sector are taking off, and where global tastes – rather than the extremes of markets such as Russia and China – are open-minded to what’s on offer. The potential for widespread success is there for the taking.
It’s clear, too, that Porsche have a well-resolved design to work with. Styling chief Michael Mauer says the Coupe sits far more comfortably with Porsche’s sports car heritage than the Cayenne itself, and he has a point: the raked windscreen and sloping roof are far more sports car-like, while the mildly widened rear track gives the appearance of the flared shoulders beloved by 911 aficionados.
Little wonder that Porsche’s product planners predict that the Coupe will account for 25% of all Cayenne sales, which totalled just more than 74,000 cars in 2018, and which are expected to rise again off the back of this launch attracting yet more customers.
It’s hard to believe, but the Cayenne was once the most controversial Porsche ever launched. Now the firm has landed a coupe variant with barely a naysayer raising a voice, and even those that do sated by the knowledge that the epic profits generated are being ploughed into safe-guarding the future of cars like the 911.
Source: Autocar
