The Porsche 911 can steal sales from its cheaper sports car sibling the Cayman rather than the other way around, says the German manufacturer.
A second-generation Porsche Cayman has been launched internationally ahead of its local arrival in late April.
The Cayman (pictured main) will start from $115,500 in Australia, almost exactly have the price on the entry-level Porsche 911(below) that costs from $229,400.
“A 911 buyer is always a 911 buyer,” says Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis. “There is no such thing as a buyer that vacillates between a Cayman and a 911.
“If you are serious about your sports car you aspire to the 911. The Cayman is for someone who always wanted a Porsche and it’s a car that gets them into the brand.”
Porsche says it’s more likely that a buyer considering the Cayman S, the more powerful version of the coupe that starts from $150,400, would upgrade.
“We do get customers who have come in to the Porsche showroom to buy a Cayman S and once they’ve added a few options they realise the same money can get them a 911,” said Ellis.
Porsche sells about 300 units of the Cayman and its convertible twin, the Boxster, every year in Australia. Sales of the 911 have ranged between 200 and 300 in recent years.
The company’s best-selling vehicle by some margin, though, remains the Cayenne SUV.
