Hot! Porsche: What's Next

[Giannis]

Porsche SE closes acquisition of PTV AG


Stuttgart, 15 September 2017. Porsche Automobil Holding SE (Porsche SE), Stuttgart, has now closed the acquisition of nearly 100 percent of PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG (PTV AG), Karlsruhe, Germany, announced in June. PTV AG is a leading provider of software for traffic planning and management as well as transport logistics. The acquisition was subject to a condition precedent and took effect at the beginning of September 2017. The aggregate investment amounts to more than 300 million euro. This will result in a corresponding cash outflow for Porsche SE in the third quarter of 2017.

Porsche SE intends to continue to operate the business as an independent company. The financial year of PTV AG (31 March) will be changed to the calendar year.

Further information on both companies can be found on Porsche SE’s homepage at www.porsche-se.com as well as on the PTV Group’s homepage at www.ptvgroup.com.

 

[Giannis]

Well, we already have a BMW & MB - what's next thread, so here's the Porsche one.

 

[PanterroR]

Sorry if it's a repost...

Ferdinand Piëch Gives Up Most His Stake In Porsche SE, Will Resign From Board In December

Ferdinand Piëch resigned as Volkswagen Group chairman following a power struggle in 2015 but he remained a powerful force behind the scenes as he retained a 14.7 percent stake in Porsche Automobil Holding SE which controls Volkswagen.

However, the automotive icon is finally relinquishing control as Porsche SE has announced the Piëch and Porsche families have successfully completed a "change in the shareholder structures within the family as agreed contractually in April of this year."

As part of this change, a number of foundations tied to Ferdinand Piëch have "assigned the major part of their indirectly held ordinary voting shares in Porsche Automobil Holding SE to other members of the Porsche and Piëch families." Ferdinand Piëch also agreed to resign from the Supervisory Board of Porsche SE on December 8th.

The news is likely a bittersweet moment for Piëch as he was instrumental in transforming Volkswagen and Audi into the automakers they are today. The company was also extremely important to him as Automotive News Europe noted he one said the three most important things in his life were "Volkswagen, family, and money – in that order."

car scoops

 

[as7920]

Hyper Hatch please

RS3 and A45 beater!

Never going to happen. I know.

 

[SKY]

Hyper Hatch please

RS3 and A45 beater!

Never going to happen. I know.

That would be a terrible way to cheapen the Porsche brand. Not every car manufacturer has to offer an affordable car option for the ones who cannot buy the regular models.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

I know...

Highly unlikely. But for the sake of fantasizing:

2 door, 2+2 coupe/cabriolet versions of the Panamera II. And a rakish somewhat notchbacked, booted Panamera II sedan.

 

[SKY]

I would say the Panny Coupe will be happening sooner rather than later.

It also seems a two door version of the Mission E is planned.

 

[Deleted member 1071]

It also seems a two door version of the Mission E is planned.

Yes-the current issue of Autobild features a leading article that alludes to Porsche-branded 2 door versions of the Mission E (VAG-speak: "J1" matrix). "J1" will reportedly underpin an Audi as well as Bentley model line.

 

[Centurion]

I would say the Panny Coupe will be happening sooner rather than later.

It also seems a two door version of the Mission E is planned.

I would argue that a two door Pananamera is the 911. Spec one the right way and it will be a comfortable GT but more capable then a 2 door version of the Panamera would be.

However I wouldn't mind a 812 Superfast competitor that's based on the Panamera but looks different.

 

[as7920]

That would be a terrible way to cheapen the Porsche brand. Not every car manufacturer has to offer an affordable car option for the ones who cannot buy the regular models.

Well they certainly need to be cheaper for me to ever get in one.

 

[martinbo]

I would love to see a new 928.

 

[Rainer271]

Porsche rules out electric 911 for at least 10 years

An all-electric Porsche 911. It has the potential to be automotive sacrilege. Fortunately, Porsche doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to make this happen.

Speaking with Autocar, company chief executive Oliver Blume said that the ever-popular 911 will retain an internal combustion engine for at least the next 10 or 15 years.

“With the 911, for the next 10 to 15 years, we will still have a combustion engine. We have combustion engines, then plug-ins as intermediaries, then full EV later on.

“The future concept of 911 will have plug-in built in, but it’s not decided yet if we offer it: 911 is a core business and we need it to be a pure sports car. When customers want it to be electric, we can be ready,” Blume said.

Porsche’s first all-electric car, the Mission E sedan, is expected to arrive in 2019. Consequently, it’s reasonable to assume that Porsche has the technology to create an electric 911 within two years. Fortunately, it’s apparent that the German marque is aligned with the sentiments of its customers, refusing to create such a model until it receives requests to do so.

car scoops

 

[PanterroR]

 

[Rainer271]

Half of Porsche sales to be from Plug-Ins by 2025

More than half of all Porsche sales will be from plug-ins by the time 2025 rolls around.

According to Porsche North America president and chief executive Klaus Zellner, demand for the company’s six plug-in hybrid models will result in a dramatic expansion of its EV portfolio.

Speaking to Green Car Reports, Zellner said half of Porsches sold in 2025 will either be plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles. Of those, approximately 70 to 75 per cent will be plug-in hybrids but further down the road, “battery-electric vehicles will take over,” he said.

A key component of Porsche’s EV future will be the Mission E, its first all-electric vehicle. Zellner has revealed that the sedan will be offered in two configurations, one of which will feature fast-charging that can recharge the battery to 80 per cent of its capacity in just 20 minutes.

Making such rapid charging possible will be powerful charging stations, set to be initially introduced to all of the company’s 189 dealerships in the United States before the Mission E arrives.

Additionally, the VW Group is embarking on a $2 billion project to build charging infrastructure across the United States. Porsche will also take a leaf out of Tesla’s playbook by introducing destination chargers at hotels, restaurants, and other locations throughout the United States.

car scoops

 

[Centurion]

Porsche rules out electric 911 for at least 10 years

An all-electric Porsche 911. It has the potential to be automotive sacrilege. Fortunately, Porsche doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to make this happen.

Speaking with Autocar, company chief executive Oliver Blume said that the ever-popular 911 will retain an internal combustion engine for at least the next 10 or 15 years.

“With the 911, for the next 10 to 15 years, we will still have a combustion engine. We have combustion engines, then plug-ins as intermediaries, then full EV later on.

“The future concept of 911 will have plug-in built in, but it’s not decided yet if we offer it: 911 is a core business and we need it to be a pure sports car. When customers want it to be electric, we can be ready,” Blume said.

Porsche’s first all-electric car, the Mission E sedan, is expected to arrive in 2019. Consequently, it’s reasonable to assume that Porsche has the technology to create an electric 911 within two years. Fortunately, it’s apparent that the German marque is aligned with the sentiments o...

Journalism at its worst.

Blume said a combustion 911 will still exist for another 10-15, not that there won't be an EV version for at least 10 years. By 2022 Plugin hybrids will be a waste of time as BEV range and batteries will have taken a big leap forward.

 

[Giannis]

 

[Giannis]

Administrative offense proceedings against Porsche AG concluded

Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office today issued a fine notice against Porsche AG pursuant to sections 30 (1), 130 (1) of the German Act on Regulatory Offences in connection with deviations from regulatory requirements for certain Porsche vehicles. The fine notice comprehensively ends the administrative offense proceedings of the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office against Porsche AG.

The fine notice provides for a fine totaling EUR 535 million, consisting of a penalty in the amount of EUR 4 million for a negligent breach of duty by Porsche AG and a levy of economic benefits in the amount EUR 531 million. The amount of the levy share depends largely on the profitability of the company.

According to the investigation results of the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office negligent breaches of supervisory duties occurred in a department of the division for development several levels below the executive board in the exhaust gas-related testing of vehicles in relation to their regulatory conformity. According to the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office, the violations of supervisory duties were contributory to partial deviations of Porsche vehicles from regulatory requirements in the period from 2009.

Porsche AG has not filed appeal against the fine notice for negligent breach of duty. The procedure against Porsche AG is therefore concluded.

A provision was formed at Volkswagen Group level already in the first quarter of this year for the potential risk of payment obligations from the fine notice. Porsche AG will take the financial impact of the notice into account in the second quarter.

Porsche AG has never developed and produced diesel engines. Concluding the proceedings is another important step towards ending the diesel topic. In the fall of 2018, Porsche announced its complete withdrawal from diesel and is fully focused on the development of cutting-edge gasoline engines, high-performance hybrid powertrains and electric mobility.

Ι don't understand the 531m part of the fines. Do they pay it or not?

 

[manuelf]

Ι don't understand the 531m part of the fines. Do they pay it or not?

I cite the linked text:

"Porsche AG will take the financial impact of the notice into account in the second quarter."

So ... they might pay in 2nd quarter ...

 

[WBarnes]

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[kingjr9000]

This is an article talking to the lead engineers from 3 companies: Porsche, Jaguar, and Aston:


A meeting of minds: Aston Martin, JLR and Porsche lead engineers debate the future of performance cars
Aston Martin’s Matt Becker, Jaguar Land Rover’s Mike Cross and Porsche’s Andreas Preuninger are determined to keep the fun coming

We have occasion to talk to them, each in isolation, pretty regularly. But never before the chance to sit them around the same table to gossip about the state of the sports car industry, about each other’s wares, and about all of our hopes and fears for the future of enthusiast motordom.

Not, at least, until now.

You guys have what some would consider the best jobs in the world. But how do you know when it’s done? When is a car finished?

Mike Cross: The trouble is they never really are.

Andreas Preuninger: It’s never done [smiles].

Mike Cross: You just get to a point of sufficiently diminished returns that you know you’re ready for production. I’m not sure I’m ever completely satisfied with something, but I know when I’ve achieved my targets.

Would your colleagues call you a perfectionist?

MC: Definitely. They’d be exasperated with me.

Matt Becker: They might use some other words, too

Do you find you agree with your peers about what makes a really good driver’s car?

MB: There’s certainly agreement within my team, because my guys are hand-picked to recognise what ‘good’ is. It’s a little bit subjective. But you can’t do it all yourself. You need a team with the same instincts as you.

AP: That’s especially true, even now, with chassis engineering. You’re so dependent on what you feel in a car; and that’s really what we try to create and fine-tune. We want the driver to feel what the car is doing and to be sure that the electronic systems are adding to that feeling. It’s a challenge – but it’s important. It’s not just about empirical tests and computers and simulations.

What do young engineers do better now than you did at their age, and what do you wish they did better?

MC: They’re a lot smarter academically than I was, but I’m not sure they’re quite as practical. I think they’ve got to want to love cars, they’ve got to be interested on a mechanical level, and they need an aptitude for it.

AP: I second that completely. Right now, there are still enough engineers with gasoline in their veins to keep us going, because you have to live for the job, to be creative and to think about it day and night in order to be really good. The generation of youngsters right now needs pushing a little bit more and their practical thinking is a little bit short.

Could you pick the guy in your department who’ll be doing your job in 20 years’ time?

AP: Yes.

MB: Not yet.

MC: Not sure.

If you were starting out today, do you think you’d pick the same career?

MB: Yes. Because, as Mike says, you don’t stop learning; and making use of the talent of the younger guys, with the heads for software, to get the feeling you want in the car is great fun.

MC: It never becomes routine because the next car is always different. Always more to learn.

AP: I’d definitely do it all over again. The sports car has been declared dead so many times, but where there’s technology, there’s always a way. The next 20 years will be even more exciting than the last.

Have driver assist systems made your cars better?

MB: The systems can – and do – enhance the appeal of the car. And in our cars, when you switch them off, they stay off. They’re not still active in the background. The fact is stability and traction control systems have improved so much and have become so clever, they can even pre-empt what’s going to happen to the car. It’s all about tuning them properly so they don’t dilute the driving experience – which is why we’re here.

AP: The big question about them for me is always ‘what purpose is it achieving?’. Torque vectoring on a sports car is very useful. People taking their cars on track days at the weekend want to be quick. So there is a tangible benefit.

MC: Also, getting the vehicle fundamentals right is so important. Then the assistance systems only need to augment what you’ve already got. You want the car to be engaging at low speeds and high speeds.

Can you get the same character we currently see from the engine in a Porsche, Jaguar or Aston Martin from an electric motor?

MC: No. And I think the traditional attributes – design, handling dynamism, comfort, refinement – will become more important in defining vehicle character because the electric motor will define less of it than the IC [internal combustion engine] has.

AP: But by the time there’s no combustion engine we can call upon at all in a sports car, I think we’ll all be long retired anyway – so it’ll be someone else’s problem. We believe the IC engine will be around for a long time yet. We have to look into electromobility, because it makes sense. It doesn’t mean we’re going to start making sports cars that people didn’t ask for.

Will the horsepower race ever end? Can you convince a modern buyer to accept less power?

MB: I’m not sure. We’re going to see increased hybridisation of sports cars in the next 10 years; and since adding electrification means adding weight, you can bet it’ll mean adding power, too. I don’t know where it ends.

AP: We’ll get into diminishing returns pretty soon. For me, 200 horsepower in a car that I should want to get up in the middle of the night and drive would be low. You need some speed to be exciting. For me, 300-350 horses is a minimum in a 1400-1500kg car, to really enjoy driving. Being on the verge of feeling overpowered is key, too. That way, a car never stops being interesting to drive. And for an engineer, taking away grip when you could make more of it is always going to be hard to justify. We will always find other ways to add excitement.

MB: Besides, when I drive classic cars, by and large, I don’t much like them. I tend to think: ‘The brakes don’t feel very good. I don’t much like the steering. It doesn’t have much grip. I don’t like the connection with the rear end.’ And I spend the whole time driving being distracted by what I don’t like. That wouldn’t feel like progress in a new car to me. We’re here to move things forward.

Who makes the best driver’s cars in the world right now, leaving aside your respective paymasters?

MB: I’d have a Ferrari 458 in my garage. That car offered so much emotion, amazing handling response. I like 911s: the last GT3 RS I drove reminded me of the Lotus Exiges I used to work on – incredibly fast with all the emotion and feeling I wanted.

MC: I like cars with a mechanical feel and that aren’t too powerful that you can’t enjoy them on the road. Porsche Caymans are great. I remember driving a Renault Mégane R26R once and, once the tyres were warm, I really enjoyed that. But I often find really powerful cars less satisfying to drive because it often feels like you’re just joining the corners up, and perhaps slowing down too much for them. And going back even further, I had a Lotus Sunbeam and a Chevette HS.

AP: I started out on a VW Scirocco GTI 1600, 110hp. I loved that thing. 960kg. But I like American muscle cars, too: Camaro, Challenger. They have real character. I don’t care about the cheap plastic covers as long as the car underneath is credible.

What matters more in defining success in this business: the particular culture of a company or the individuals in its hierarchy?

MB: Well, [Aston Martin CEO] Andy Palmer’s a keen driver. He only lives around the corner from here [Silverstone], which is great in some ways. He races. He’s really enthusiastic. He trusts me to do my job, but he’ll give his opinion as well. And, while he knows he’s not an expert, that’s worth having. He may pick up something we just haven’t thought about. His passion filters down a long way.

AP: All our top dogs are car guys as well, but I feel the passion at every level in our company. We have very low staff turnover at Porsche – guys in the same job for a decade or more. Lots of experience. All of our guys at Weissach are real enthusiasts. They build cars for themselves, so they go the extra mile. I think you’ll feel that with all of our cars.

And what about the fabled skunkworks projects. Do they still happen?

MB: Yes – because they’re a way around. The product planning and marketing people have their ideas, but they don’t have the insight of the engineers, who know that if you combine a kit of bits in a certain way all in one car, you’ll get something very special. They know that because they work with those bits every day. That’s the essence of the skunkworks car. They used to happen at Lotus. The original V12 Vantage was one, too, and it turned into one of the company’s best driver’s cars.

MC: You just need to build a car; and once you have, it becomes much easier to sell it to the business.

AP: With some cars, PowerPoint will tell you there’s no chance. But if you stick your neck out and produce a car, you make the concept tangible.

MB: I’ve been on testing trips with suppliers like Bosch and, over a beer, I’ve said to a guy: “Wouldn’t it be great if you could develop a traction control system that could learn the traction level as it went and could optimise the system live to almost equal what a racing driver could do?” And suddenly you see a light go on. A year later, there’s a new system that does exactly that. Beer is often all you need.

Does it matter that every sports car brand is making an SUV?

MC: At the end of the day, we’re businesses. We have to be successful and that means making cars that people want.

AP: I don’t see a contradiction. Not at all. I consider myself an enthusiast, too. There are times when I have the lucky situation when I can take a choice of sports cars home, but mostly I take my own Cayenne – because I have to carry this and go there. And it’s a pleasure to drive it.

MB: We’re in the last development phases with DBX now. The breadth of ability of these products is incredible. You can do 300km/h comfortably on the autobahn. You can go to the ’Ring and put in credible lap times. You can drive over a field; put five people in and their luggage; or tow a boat. The dynamic range of capability is phenomenal. But people want the brand as well. And it’s not the car companies or the customers who question whether we should be making them: it’s just you lot.

Who was the best driver you ever sat in with?

MB: Darren Turner’s pretty handy. His speed through corners and smoothness is very impressive.

AP: For me, Walter Röhl. His car control is beyond belief. The steering inputs he makes are so subtle, but crucial – and he’s so damn quick. I always get out of the car with him thinking the same thing: where did he find that grip? It was always an occasion to ride with him. And it still is.

MC: I was driven here, years ago, by John Watson in a Jaguar. He was fantastic – so smooth, used all the track, very fast, very efficient. I’ve been in with Stig Blomqvist on the loose. That was pretty special.

Any big accidents?

MB: It wasn’t quite on the job, but I was definitely practising. There was a bend you’ll find when leaving Lotus which became known as ‘Baby Becker Bend’, unfortunately. I went around this corner in Dad’s Vauxhall Carlton estate and decided I wanted to go sideways, ’cos I thought I could. But I couldn’t. I hit the wall on the other side of the road. It didn’t quite buff out. I was 17. Have had nothing major since – but you do have to look after the cars, which become priceless with the development knowledge they represent.

Who were your biggest professional influences?

MC: I was lucky to have spent a lot of time with Jackie Stewart and Richard Parry-Jones. Both mentored me.

AP: Roland Kussmaul. An engineer and a great friend of Walter’s. He was working at Porsche since the ’60s. He did the Paris-Dakar. Was our main driving dynamics guru, I’d say, within Porsche Motorsport. I learned everything I know about cars, and most of what I know about 911s, from him.

MB: Mine was my father [Roger Becker] because I grew up watching him doing the job I wanted to do. When I was six years old, I’d go for a ride in Lotuses he was evaluating and I could never understand why he was doing lane changes down an empty dual carriageway! Eventually, the penny dropped. It was all drilled into me from a very early age.

Manual or automatic?

MB: Paddle shift.

AP: Manual.

MC: Paddle shift.

Forced induction or normal aspiration?

MB: Normally aspirated.

AP: Normally aspirated.

MC: High-revving, normally aspirated.

Adaptive dampers or expensive, well-tuned passive ones?

MB: Adaptive.

AP: Adaptive.

MC: Adaptive.

Will the sports car survive the next 50 years?

AP: The last car ever built will be a sports car, I’m sure of that.

MC: I’m sure it will, too. Because enthusiasts will be the last people in the market, won’t they?