Cayenne

What happens when a moonshot product ages into a used car?

Purchased in July 2024 with no prior mechanical experience, a 2005 Porsche Cayenne 3.2 became the subject of a two year, 10,000-mile investigation into how design decisions affect the long arc of ownership.

This paper examines serviceability, planned obsolescence, and today's software-defined vehicle through that lens, proposing a design empathy framework for building conscientous and robust products that can survive decades of ownership cycles.