Re: Cayenne vs Touareg

E Brown <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

> On 20 Oct 2003 12:58:56 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> (Stephen H. Westin) wrote:
> >As others have pointed out, no. They have had a pretty close
> >association over the years, though:
> >
> >o Porsche did the original engineering for the Beetle and some
> >  derivatives before they ever built their own car.
> >
> >o The original Porsche 356 borrowed heavily from the Beetle design
> >  and componentry.
> >
> >o Many VW models were engineered by Porsche.
> >
> >o The 914 was an odd joint venture; Porsche dealers sold it with a
> >  6-cylinder Porsche engine as a Porsche; VW sold it with a VW
> >  Transporter engine as a VW-Porsche.
> >
> >o The Porsche 924 was originally designed for VW; when VW dropped
> >  the project, it was manufactured in the old (VW-owned) NSU plant
> >  for Porsche. It was based heavily on VW componentry (LT engine,
> >  Super Beetle suspension, VW transaxle) and developed into the 944
> >  and 968, which had a Porsche engine and ventured farther from its
> >  VW origins.
> 
>       All of this misses the important part: why.
>       The Porsche family (which still owns the company, for all intents
> and purposes) withdrew from the running of the company in the late
> 70s, but they are closely entwined via marriage with the Peich family,
> which owns/controls the VW/Audi car groups (which owns Bugatti and
> Lamborghini, as someone pointed out).

No, they don't. Ferdinand Piech is/was head of VAG; his mom was
sister to Ferry Porsche (i.e. daughter of the original Ferdinand
Porsche), and he worked at Porsche for years before going on to Audi
and up the management ladder.

Ownership has been more complicated. The original VW was a project of
DAF, the Nazi labor union group. After the war, the Allies passed on
the opportunity to take it over, so the German federal and state
governments (Niedersachsen, I think) took over as recovery
started. State ownership has diminished through the years.

> The Porsches don't run their own
> company, but have run VW/Audi for decades. 

No, Piech took the helm at Audi in 1988, VAG in 1993. He stepped down
in 2002, and remains on the VAG board.
<http://www.businessweek.com/1999/02/b3611034.htm>
<http://www.rasscass.com/templ/te_bio.php?PID=168&RID=1> (German)

<snip>

-- 
-Stephen H. Westin
Any information or opinions in this message are mine: they do not
represent the position of Cornell University or any of its sponsors.