Photo: Porsche
No, this whole Hyundai-better-Porsche? thing isn't a rant. Instead, it's a thought that's been in the back of my mind for quite some time now and here's why.
Hyundais won't become faster than Porsches anytime soon. However, now that the South Korean automaker is making sustained efforts to build a name for its N performance division, I can't help but notice how its underdog status could make the company's go-fast products smarter purchasing decisions than Zuffenhausen's cars.
A glance at Porsche's pricing boost policy is enough to understand that the Germans are taking advantage of their ever-increasing aura, so it's no surprise that Porsche has one of the highest profit margins in the auto industry. And, as good as that is for resale values, you don't want to hear it when buying a Porsche, do you?
Heck, just yesterday I showed you a limited edition 911 that had a whole 718 Boxster worth of options - we're talking about a 718 which, in turn, would be gifted with a reasonable amount of optional extras. And I'd be fine with such specials if I didn't feel that Porsche is moving its machines farther and farther away from the non-millionaire aficionado's reach.
Let's take a brief moment to analyse the "mistake" of not gifting the 991-generation GT3 models with a manual. Did Andreas Preuninger's GT Division actually fail to anticipate what the market needs or was this a well-planned scheme having a price-boosting effect on both past and future stick shift GT models?
And, before anybody points their finger at my conspiracy theory thoughts, here are some cold, hard numbers. Back in December last year, when the German carmaker introduced the 991.2 911 Turbo and Turbo S mid-cycle revamp, the first got a pricing bump of $8,100, while the second came with a premium of $5,400.
Of course, Porsche's ever-increasing financial side is backed up by the automaker's engineering genius. And yet I can't help and look at drool-worthy animals such as the 911 R and wonder if it's okay for a parts bin-built afterthought to end up trading hands for half a million dollars on the speculation market?
Even if we leave that out due to the third party implications, we still have the 2017 Porsche 911 R's MSRP, which makes it the most expensive coupe in the Neunelfer line-up.
The bottom line when it comes to Porsche is that Zuffenahusen is turning into the kind of uber-brand that makes it almost impossible for normal people to dream about adorning their driveway with such a car one day.
And while there's nothing wrong with that as long as one ends up inside the company's cool circle, go-fast Hyundais suddenly seem like a much more reasonable proposal.
Don't get me wrong, Porsche's famous "Honestly now, did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Nissan or a Mitsubishi?" print ad still stands if we're talking about Hyundais (you can find the ad in the image above).
I mean, it would be extremely strange if my SO would get mad at me for neglecting her in order to spend the whole Sunday with my Hyundai. But that might just happen one day and that day could fit in next year's calendar.
How come? Well, as those of you following autoevolution's Nurburgring stories know, the South Korean carmaker is currently testing an insane mid-engined hot hatch on the Green Hell - here are the spyshots of the contraption, in case you missed them.
For now, we're dealing with something whose name sounds like a toaster (RM16 N). But once this mid-engined compact, which reportedly packs a manual and should have north of 300 horses, reaches production and gets a proper name, we might be in for a revolution.
Last time we got such an amazing hatchback, it was the mid-engined Renault Clio V6. However, that was only cool until you tried to throw a tricky bend at it (the handling was snappy). Well, Hyundai can't afford to deliver anything less than perfect cornering abilities in the drift-obsessed era of today.
I've been keeping an eye on Hyundai's speedy offerings ever since 2009-2010. That was the time when Hyundai replaced Ford as the world's fourth largest carmaker, while the Genesis Coupe tried to threaten the Mustang on the U.S. market.
The Genesis Coupe's attempt to take on the pony was more of a marketing stunt than an actual offensive, but it seems the H people have learned valuable lessons. And if Ford is ready to take on Porsche (remember what Ford Performance Boss Dave Pericak told me at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show?), why wouldn't Hyundai attack?
Frankly, some of the best cars I've driven over the years were built under tremendous pressure and I have a BMW example for you (the Bavarians just couldn't be missing from such a story). I'm talking about the BMW 4 Series Convertible. BMW engineers were so concerned about the model not losing its driving sharpness together with its top that they delivered a car that feels incredibly sure-footed. And Hyundai engineers are currently under serious pressure to deliver top-notch speeding machines.
Speaking of German matters, I'll remind you of the Hyundai Motor Group European Technical Center at the Nurburgring. The people who work there are giving us their A+ game, since they have no laurels to rest on, except perhaps for those of the execs they grab from the cool brands. One of the best examples of such headhunting happened last year.
That's when Manfred Fitzgerald, a Lamborghini director for brand and styling, became a Hyundai senior VP. The exec handles the company's Genesis luxury brand rather than the N Division, but you can catch my drift.
Don't get me wrong. I love Porsches. In fact, I worship them, as demonstrated by the 911 collage in my living room. But it's always nice to have an alternative, with or without some quotes being used for that word.
Porsche's image is sweet, its leather-covered dashboard air vents are divine, but what if somebody wants to buy the all-out performance and driving fun without the lavish part of the package? Now that's where alternatives step in.
A glance at Porsche's pricing boost policy is enough to understand that the Germans are taking advantage of their ever-increasing aura, so it's no surprise that Porsche has one of the highest profit margins in the auto industry. And, as good as that is for resale values, you don't want to hear it when buying a Porsche, do you?
Heck, just yesterday I showed you a limited edition 911 that had a whole 718 Boxster worth of options - we're talking about a 718 which, in turn, would be gifted with a reasonable amount of optional extras. And I'd be fine with such specials if I didn't feel that Porsche is moving its machines farther and farther away from the non-millionaire aficionado's reach.
Let's take a brief moment to analyse the "mistake" of not gifting the 991-generation GT3 models with a manual. Did Andreas Preuninger's GT Division actually fail to anticipate what the market needs or was this a well-planned scheme having a price-boosting effect on both past and future stick shift GT models?
And, before anybody points their finger at my conspiracy theory thoughts, here are some cold, hard numbers. Back in December last year, when the German carmaker introduced the 991.2 911 Turbo and Turbo S mid-cycle revamp, the first got a pricing bump of $8,100, while the second came with a premium of $5,400.
Of course, Porsche's ever-increasing financial side is backed up by the automaker's engineering genius. And yet I can't help and look at drool-worthy animals such as the 911 R and wonder if it's okay for a parts bin-built afterthought to end up trading hands for half a million dollars on the speculation market?
Even if we leave that out due to the third party implications, we still have the 2017 Porsche 911 R's MSRP, which makes it the most expensive coupe in the Neunelfer line-up.
The bottom line when it comes to Porsche is that Zuffenahusen is turning into the kind of uber-brand that makes it almost impossible for normal people to dream about adorning their driveway with such a car one day.
And while there's nothing wrong with that as long as one ends up inside the company's cool circle, go-fast Hyundais suddenly seem like a much more reasonable proposal.
Don't get me wrong, Porsche's famous "Honestly now, did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Nissan or a Mitsubishi?" print ad still stands if we're talking about Hyundais (you can find the ad in the image above).
I mean, it would be extremely strange if my SO would get mad at me for neglecting her in order to spend the whole Sunday with my Hyundai. But that might just happen one day and that day could fit in next year's calendar.
How come? Well, as those of you following autoevolution's Nurburgring stories know, the South Korean carmaker is currently testing an insane mid-engined hot hatch on the Green Hell - here are the spyshots of the contraption, in case you missed them.
For now, we're dealing with something whose name sounds like a toaster (RM16 N). But once this mid-engined compact, which reportedly packs a manual and should have north of 300 horses, reaches production and gets a proper name, we might be in for a revolution.
Last time we got such an amazing hatchback, it was the mid-engined Renault Clio V6. However, that was only cool until you tried to throw a tricky bend at it (the handling was snappy). Well, Hyundai can't afford to deliver anything less than perfect cornering abilities in the drift-obsessed era of today.
I've been keeping an eye on Hyundai's speedy offerings ever since 2009-2010. That was the time when Hyundai replaced Ford as the world's fourth largest carmaker, while the Genesis Coupe tried to threaten the Mustang on the U.S. market.
The Genesis Coupe's attempt to take on the pony was more of a marketing stunt than an actual offensive, but it seems the H people have learned valuable lessons. And if Ford is ready to take on Porsche (remember what Ford Performance Boss Dave Pericak told me at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show?), why wouldn't Hyundai attack?
Frankly, some of the best cars I've driven over the years were built under tremendous pressure and I have a BMW example for you (the Bavarians just couldn't be missing from such a story). I'm talking about the BMW 4 Series Convertible. BMW engineers were so concerned about the model not losing its driving sharpness together with its top that they delivered a car that feels incredibly sure-footed. And Hyundai engineers are currently under serious pressure to deliver top-notch speeding machines.
Speaking of German matters, I'll remind you of the Hyundai Motor Group European Technical Center at the Nurburgring. The people who work there are giving us their A+ game, since they have no laurels to rest on, except perhaps for those of the execs they grab from the cool brands. One of the best examples of such headhunting happened last year.
That's when Manfred Fitzgerald, a Lamborghini director for brand and styling, became a Hyundai senior VP. The exec handles the company's Genesis luxury brand rather than the N Division, but you can catch my drift.
Don't get me wrong. I love Porsches. In fact, I worship them, as demonstrated by the 911 collage in my living room. But it's always nice to have an alternative, with or without some quotes being used for that word.
Porsche's image is sweet, its leather-covered dashboard air vents are divine, but what if somebody wants to buy the all-out performance and driving fun without the lavish part of the package? Now that's where alternatives step in.
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