Matthias Müller once again denies that Porsche will build the "baby" 551

This is the second denial of a news story in just a few months, and we keep going around in circles on the baby Porsche, the entry-level model the brand had in mind for 2017. At the start, the initial news was the first statement to the contrary from the people in Stuttgart; then a “senior executive” of the brand took it as a given just a few days ago. Finally, Matthias Müller has definitively put an end to the rumour, in an interview with the German newspaper Zeitung.

According to Müller’s explanation, Porsche will not build the successor to the 550 (which, until an internal designation was assigned, was known as the 551) because the brand’s owners would not want to see the Porsche brand devalued by building cheap vehicles, leaving behind a rich history of exclusive cars.

The place of the 551 could be taken by a sports car positioned between the 911 and the 918, although this is more of a personal wish of Müller’s than anything else, because the project is not considered in the plans; so Müller has killed two birds with one stone by announcing that neither a model between the 911 and the 918 is in the plans, nor an entry-level Panamera.

I don’t know whether this is really about protecting the image of Porsche owners and the value Porsche has as a brand, or the fear of having a vehicle that features technology and a platform supplied by Volkswagen, which would indeed devalue the brand from the point of view of marketing consultants. Perhaps they forget that the first Porsche was born from the bowels of a Volkswagen.

There is still the Audi R4 ahead, a similar model that will be the consolation prize for those who were waiting for the baby Porsche.