Today, the board of management of Porsche AG in Stuttgart, Germany, announced the appointment of Detlev von Platen (44) as President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), effective April 1, 2008. Von Platen will succeed Peter Schwarzenbauer who has been named to the management board of AUDI AG, in Ingolstadt, Germany, responsible for worldwide sales and marketing. For the past nine years, Detlev von Platen has been President and CEO of Porsche France. Under his leadership Porsche France became one of Porsche’s major sales subsidiaries in continental Europe with total sales of close to 3,000 sports cars and Cayenne SUVs in 2007. Before joining Porsche in 1996, von Platen held a number of management functions within the sales and marketing department of BMW Motorrad GmbH in Munich, Germany.
In Atlanta, von Platen will be heading Porsche’s most important sales subsidiary. With total 2007 sales of 36,680 units in the United States and Canada, North America accounts for nearly 40 percent of Porsche’s worldwide sales volume. Under Schwarzenbauer, PCNA posted four consecutive sales records in an extremely challenging market place. In fact, since the arrival of the Cayenne model line in 2003 Porsche increased its volume in North America by 68 percent. But despite an increasingly incentive driven sales environment, even in the premium segment Porsche never lost focus on generating value for the company, its dealers and its customers instead of striving for mere growth and market share through subsidizing sales. Read the rest of this entry »
The new Porsche GT3 Cup S, based on the road-going GT3 RS sportscar, is created exclusively for racing purposes. The Weissach-developed and built vehicle will race in international champion-ships which run in accordance with FIA GT3 regulations.
To a large extent, the 3.6-litre boxer engine is identical to the power unit used in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and the international Carrera Cup championships. Power output has increased by 20 horsepower to now 440 hp (324 kW) at 8,000 rpm. Maximum torque is up by ten Nm to 430 at 7,250 revs per minute. The power increase results from optimised engine electronics and a modified exhaust system.
In contrast to the Porsche GT3 Cup, the body of the Cup S is not based on the road-going GT3 but on the GT3 RS. In the wider wheel arches, considerably larger wheels can now be mounted. At the front, the rims measure 10.5 inches in width with 12 inch wheels fitted at the rear. The front section and flares are significantly different to the GT3 Cup components. An adjustable front-splitter generates more downforce at the front axle. The rear-wing is wider and positioned higher than the Cup version and provides more downforce at the rear axle.
-Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, announced today that it is developing a hybrid drive version of its highly anticipated four-door Gran Turismo. The Panamera Hybrid will utilize the same gas-electric drive concept as the Cayenne Hybrid that comes to market at the end of the decade and will claim a remarkable 30% reduction of fuel consumption. The full parallel hybrid system of the Panamera will be configured with the battery unit positioned below the luggage compartment, and hybrid module, comprising of an additional clutch and electric motor, will be between the engine and transmission. Depending on driving conditions, the hybrid module has the ability to disengage either the combustion engine or the electric motor, or to combine both drive systems as one joint power unit. This flexibility results in benefits such as a zero emissions driving mode, fuel savings in both city and highway driving and maximum performance when desired. Read the rest of this entry »
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