Quote:
Originally Posted by MMC Racing
The 911 is a huge range of configurations from 85k - 180k starting price. Porsche probably makes money on each and every one.
Nissan has 2 sports cars not making them any money right now. Nissan needs the Z to have more range by keeping the base model in the 30k area and then a true high performance model in the 50-55k area. The NISMO model needs more than marginally better performance. It needs another engine choice.
|
I'm going to go ahead and say this about the 911 argument. They have been making the 911 since the 60s. It takes time to build something where you can have that kind of lineup yet still be profitable. Really not a fair argument there. Porsche is a sports car brand that has been building sports cars for decade.
Nissan/Infiniti is, well, a grab bag where the business model isn't nearly the same as a company like Porsche. They're mass producing vehicles. Porsche isn't. The GT-R is a halo car that can get away with not necessarily making a profit. It is meant to serve as an attention-getter for the brand meant gather profit in a more indirect way. What they've done with the GT-R is nothing short of remarkable, and I guarantee you it has gotten Porsche's attention.
As far as the Z, the 370 is a victim of circumstance in the grand scheme of things in a great many ways (rough economy, competition). I really don't want to beat the dead horse here - we just need to see if Nissan is serious about their legacy vehicle. The Z is the icon for the brand, as we shall see if it gets proper love.