The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm

An Idea from Porsche

What else can Detroit do to capture the Gen Y car buyer? One suggestion is to take a page from Porsche.

I am a Porsche nut. I have been blessed with the wherewithal to own several of them in my lifetime. Although the car is universally recognized, it doesn’t really have a broad market appeal and is not all that easy to sell when you want to move up to a new one. It’s not the kind of car you trade in at the dealer, because you can always get more money if you sell it privately (but a private sale is not always easy).

About twenty years ago I saw a Porsche ad in a major enthusiasts’ magazine. The ad encouraged people to buy used Porsches. It was not a dealer ad. It was from Porsche of America. I thought it was curious because ...