Originally posted by method:
Who can blame VW or Porsche for coming out with these models? People have been snatching up SUV's like mad for the last 7 years or so, and there seems to be no end to it. The VW group had no real entry in the field, the Audi AllRoad being the closest thing, so what the hell? Ford makes a $10,000 profit on every Expedition sold, and there's a lot of them sold. Car makers are in the car making business to make money, nothing else. SUV's are where the money's at right now.
I agree, but the upscale SUV in the VW stable should have been an Audi, not a Porsche. I am often wrong, and this is just me, and I'm not an auto company exec, but I think the "VW group" is taking some serious risks in diluting the brands they manage. An 8-cylinder, upscale Passat? Won't that cut into Audi sales? A Porsche SUV? Wait a minute. You're trying to make the "Porsche" name synonymous with "Ford?" (I know, Range Rover started this whole thing, but Ford dragged everybody else in.)
Even Ford is smart enough (so far) to let Volvo be Volvo, even though a Volvo SUV wouldn't be far-fetched.
