Provoke- The Porsche Issue

Porsche, like many of its peers, is grappling with finding a viable future that connects to its storied past.

Jan 23, 2025

911 Dakar

Then

“The 928 development project was started in 1971 and was designed by Porsche as the eventual replacement for the 911. It was the product of a company that had gone through much turmoil in the early 70’s. Ferry Porsche had moved the company on from being a family-run business with father-son in-fighting causing loss of focus. A number of senior company members were “encouraged” to move on and a new chief executive was appointed – his name - Dr Ernst Fuhrmann. Previously with the Goertz Piston company, Fuhrmann was the man responsible for the design of the 1950s Carrera engine (the engine was also used in the 550 Spyder, etc). Fuhrmann believed that Porsche’s long-term future should be built upon Grand Tourers with conventional engines – he went on to de-prioritize the 911 – believing that the 928 would be its successor.”

928.org.uk

“Production finally finished in 1995. The 928 had lost its way somewhat and never did what was originally intended – replace the 911. Historians write that it never “captured the spirit” of the 911 which went on to regain its lost ground…”

Stuttcars

Bruce Blidsten on Creating Porsche Advertising at Fallon McElligott Bruce

Obviously, Porsche was a very sexy brand. But we were doing great work for every brand -even the stodgy Wall Street Journal- so I don’t remember it being that much more coveted than others. Every account offered the potential to do something amazing. Personally, I started at Fallon by working on these wonderful long-copy ads for the iconic New York department store Bloomingdales. At first, I ghost-wrote body copy for McElligott’s headlines and then took over and wrote all the ads. My good friend Mark Johnson was the (very tasteful) art director, and he also was the lead art director on Porsche. John Jay was our client -talk about tasteful- well before he went to Wieden and Kennedy as his background was in design and fashion.
You could run those ads in the New York Times today and they’d hold up.

David Dye

The Cayenne Changed Porsche

…We drove it and I still didn’t understand why Porsche had bet the farm on such an alien concept. Of course, it was ridiculously fast, handled far better than I thought such a car ever could and even proved itself to be improbably capable off road, but I just couldn’t understand a traditional 911 buyer thinking such a car was anything other than a brand dilution at best, at worst a betrayal. I now know the mistake I was making. The Cayenne wasn’t aimed at traditional 911 buyers…..“The Cayenne went on to be not only the most popular Porsche in its history, soon outselling all others combined, but the most profitable too. It turned Porsche into what it remains today: an SUV manufacturer that also knocks out a far smaller number of more traditional sporting cars too. And I’m fine with that now, not just because the whole world has woken up and plays the same way too, but because it is the profits from the Cayenne, its descendants and Macan little brother that have allowed Porsche to continue investing so heavily in cars like the 911.”

Goodwood.com

Goodby Silverstein and Partners Print Ad from 1995

Now

Porsche Has to Navigate the “Biggest Upheaval Seen in the History of the Industry”

“Transformation in the automotive sector, with the key issues being around digitalization, sustainability, and electric mobility, is the biggest upheaval we have seen in the history of our industry. It’s so much more than just changing technology, too: new organization and processes also play a key role. We’re talking about a period of more than 15 years, and we have about a third of that already behind us. There are some important things that still need to be done, such as increasing the efficiency of electric mobility, expanding renewable energies, establishing a comprehensive charging infrastructure, and decarbonizing the company.”

Oliver Blume- Chairman of the Executive Board- Porsche

The Challenge for the Brand

“Looking at Asian traffic conditions where speed is limited, we need to ensure that the entire customer experience—inside and outside the car—is highly emotive. Thus, we cannot solely rely on driving experience as a benchmark. This level of excitement is more crucial than ever in the age of electrification because EV products are becoming increasingly similar in terms of technology. Therefore, we must double down on other aspects that make our cars exceptional.”

Yannick Ott – Marketing Director for Porsche Asia Pacific- WARC

Porsche Moves into Shopping Malls

The Porsche Studio offers an alternative to the traditional dealership experience by emphasizing pricing transparency, simplicity and personalized touch points. Developed in partnership with global automotive services company Holman, the Porsche Studio San Diego is now open in the open-air Fashion Valley Mall. Similar to a luxury boutique, the 3,000-square-foot studio space is designed to offer opportunities to interact with the Porsche brand in a relaxed, intimate environment. Customers are greeted by certified Porsche Pros who have detailed knowledge of the entire spectrum of Porsche models and technology. A “fitting lounge” features digital interfaces where guests can explore the entire Porsche vehicle range, as well as configure and order their new car. The store itself also features a number of vehicles as well as a wide range of lifestyle products and merchandise, including a unique collection of Porsche Design apparel, luggage, eyewear and accessories.”

Retailtouchpoints

Bloomberg-Falling Behind Ferrari

Company slide- Competitors to Porsche’s Macan EV in China

China Problems- 2024 Sales Tumble by 28%

“Porsche will pare back its dealership network in China, reflecting persisting weak demand in the world's biggest auto market that has severely hit European carmakers and forced them to cut costs to soften the blow to profit margins.”

Reuters

Singer in Japan

“Singer’s origins lie in the automotive world. The first subject of our philosophy, in 2009, was the air-cooled Porsche 911 coupe.

Sonderwunsch (special request)Personalization

“Every customer essentially becomes a part of the company itself, taking the role of project manager for their own vehicle. They are like an employee and a Porsche owner all at once. They get an incredible amount of insight in the process, gaining access to areas of the business normally reserved for our own internal experts and engineers. Our customers really are a part of the team throughout.”

Eduard Reichert- Porsche

EV Rethink

“Porsche insiders, speaking to Autocar, claimed the company is rethinking its strategy to replace internal-combustion offerings like the 718 and Macan with EVs. Chief Financial Officer Lutz Meschke confirmed that there was some truth to the rumor, stating that Porsche was "exploring the possibility of equipping some of the originally planned electric models with hybrid drives or internal combustion engines in the future."

Carbuzz

An E-Fuel Future?

“Porsche has mentioned that one of the biggest advantages of eFuels is that Porsche drivers with gas vehicles can enjoy them. Because these synthetic fuels work like a fossil fuel does, you can interchange them to power your car's engine. Porsche Synthetic Fuel, or eFuels, is intended for use in combustion engine vehicles: Not EVs, not PHEVs. Porsche, being a sports car manufacturer, plans to use eFuels in its own combustion-engined models. You will get to experience the same thrill of ICE driving, all while producing the emissions of an EV: So none.”

TopSpeed

Aimé Leon Dore Porsche 993 Turbo. The fifth classic restoration in a long-standing partnership

Motorsport Matters

“For us, motorsport is not an objective in its own right but has always been an integral part of our DNA. Porsche without motorsport simply doesn’t work. Our racing cars represent our brand. They’re on the world’s racetracks as our ambassadors and are rolling innovation labs. The things we successfully test on the track often find their way into our series development. That’s what makes our production cars so unique – and so beloved by our customers.”

FIA- Oliver Blume- Chairman of the Porsche AG Management Board

Electrical Problems

“Already discontinued in Europe because of cybersecurity regulations, the current-generation Porsche 718 is not long for this world. The gasoline-fueled Boxster and Cayman duo will be discontinued globally by next year. What comes after? An all-electric sports car. However, there's reportedly a possibility of a gap between when the ICE dies and when the EV indirectly takes its place in the lineup. Automobilwoche, the German branch of Automotive News Europe, claims Porsche is having problems developing the 718 EV. The engineers from Zuffenhausen are apparently "well behind schedule," so there's a real risk the electric sports car's launch could be delayed. The mid-mounted battery is believed to be the culprit, with Porsche "constantly requesting adjustments" from supplier Valmet Automotive.”

Motor1

La Carrera Panamericana- A Stunning Film