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An owner justifies why Porsche's cars are over-priced in India

Some of Porsche's offerings are even higher priced than its competitors from its Mercedes-Benz, Audi & BMW.

BHPian The Rainmaker recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just reviving an old thread but being a Porsche owner, couldn't hold myself back. There are a few things to consider. I'll list them category wise & pointwise for everyone based on my first-hand experience:

Porsche Vehicle Price:

  1. Porsche vehicles are expensive in some cases as compared to the competitors, now even more so due to the increased import duties (Thanks to our Government ).
  2. The ergonomics, build quality and finish are still unparalleled in its price range, even when compared to the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc. (Trust me, I've owned or driven most of those and had them long enough to evaluate them over a long term).
  3. Being a purist, I seriously wish they keep it a CBU business model only. CKD will bring down the quality like anything. I was fortunate enough to experience the German (BMW, Merc, etc.) CBU and then the CKD or locally manufactured models as well. Trust me, the differences in build quality are substantial while the price difference is marginal. You'll often see cut corners in hidden areas. I noticed the clamps and dampening materials used in CKD vehicles were of inferior quality, some assembled panels had a play or uneven gaps that shouldn't be that way and that's just the tip of the iceberg, there are way more compromises the moment you start servicing your own cars and tearing things down.
  4. An in-house production is what Porsche takes pride in and that's exactly the reason why they still are respected in the enthusiast community. Country of Origin has a big role to play when it comes to quality.
  5. Is the price premium justified over its counterparts? Maybe or maybe not. That's an individual opinion and depends on one's budget. For a purist, it very well is. For someone just wanting to own a Porsche, he might be ok with compromises as well. But if only our government policies were enthusiast-friendly, we'd be able to buy the latest-gen Cayenne for around Rs 55 lakh and a 911 Carrera for around Rs 80 lakh instead of Rs 1.30 crore and Rs 1.70 crore, respectively and that wouldn't seem so out of budget. Food for thought...

Porsche Service Costs:

  1. The parts prices are at par with their German counterparts in most of the cases or expensive depending on what you're getting replaced/serviced. Some are even proprietary and made exclusively for Porsche and there's no interchangeability even with their own models.
  2. In terms of regular servicing (Engine oil change, brake fluid change etc.), it is comparable to other brands but labour rates can be slightly higher in some cases.
  3. If you're looking at specialized repairs, where there's damage and the whole part or panel has to be replaced, yes it's gonna get really expensive but then you've got insurance to cover it fully or partially for you.

TL;DR:

Porsche has an image to carry forward and they're more into the Performance luxury segment than just Luxury, although in the last decade or so they did come out with Panamera, Cayenne, and now Macan but their roots have always been in Racing, Motorsports and Competitive Championships. Having experienced most of these vehicles personally, I would say if they have something special to offer, they might as well charge a justified premium for it but within reason, of course

Here's what BHPian 316kmph had to say on the matter:

Porsche’s are priced competitively for the un-optioned versions, given that they are CBUs compared to JLR, Lexus and the likes. However, unlike elsewhere in the world, the options are not bundled into reasonably (relatively speaking!) priced packages and one is forced to individually pick ridiculously priced options. IIRC charge Rs 10-12 lakh for the top seat (sports, ventilated 18-way power), or 3.5 lakh for a 360-degree camera!! Once you keep ticking the desirable option checkboxes, it’s so easy to add 30, 40, or even 50 lakh of options and that makes them overpriced!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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